India vs New Zealand series decider in jeopardy with thunderstorms predicted at Thiruvananthapuram

On Tuesday, the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram will host the T20I series decider between India and New Zealand — the first time in 29 years that Kerala’s capital will host an international match. Understandably, the excitement in the city is palpable with tickets sold out and enthusiastic fans pouring into the city from all corners of the state to see Virat Kohli and Co take on the Black Caps. [caption id=“attachment_4197023” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Accuweather.com predicts thunderstorms at parts of Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday[/caption] However, this excitement is also tinged with trepidation of the match being disrupted due to rains that have been lashing Thiruvananthapuram since the past week. The possibility of rains subsiding seems bleak with the weather forecast predicting thunderstorms in the evening. Fans are hoping the Rain Gods provide them with temporary respite from 7 pm to 11 pm on Tuesday to ensure the match can be played without any kind of delays. This is not the first time that rain has threatened to disrupt proceedings in a series decider. Even the third T20I against Australia in Hyderabad had to be called off when the drainage system in Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium failed to keep the outfield dry after torrential rains lashed the city prior to the 13 October match. The Greenfield Stadium, the 50th Indian venue to host an international match, boasts of a superior drainage system and has the potential to host a game even after rain interruptions. Such a situation would arise only if there are interrupted rains and not thunderstorms as predicted. However, things seem to be looking up now as the cloud cover seems to have cleared up and hopes for the match to be played without any hiccups are increasing. [caption id=“attachment_4197071” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Cloud cover in Thiruvananthapuram around 14km from the stadium. Image courtesy: Devdutt Kshirsagar[/caption] Thousands of fans who have bought tickets, not to mention cricket fans from across the world, will be waiting for the start of this blockbustre at 7 pm with bated breath. It remains to be seen if the Rain Gods will finally relent or it will be yet another match in India that gets washed away because of poor planning, especially by scheduling matches in a city during its monsoon.