India vs England 2nd ODI- Run fest expected at Cuttack but dew likely to play a major part

Despite putting up a mammoth 350 on the board, the visiting England side couldn’t stem the run flow of their Indian counterparts in the 1st ODI at Pune after reducing them to 63/4 at one stage. The run-fest in the opening encounter raised hopes especially for the Indian spectators to see some fireworks in the upcoming games. In the first ODI, some of the shots executed by batsmen from either side were quite exceptional and if curator Ashish Bhowmick’s words are to be taken as an indication then we might in for another placid wicket at the Barabati Stadium on Thursday.

Barabati has traditionally been a pitch on the slower side and teams have found it hard to go hammers and tongs from the word go. There is another major concern for the team which loses the toss. With the temperatures dipping in the eastern part of the country, dew is going to play a very important part in the match. “There has been heavy dew every evening for the past few days,” the East Zone Curator was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.

If the dew does persist, it will surely give the team batting 2nd an added advantage. The soggy conditions will prevent the spinners from gripping the ball and especially on a slow track like Barabati the added moisture will allow the ball to come nicely onto the bat. BCCI has been scheduling the day-night games one hour ahead than the usual 2: 30 start to neutralise the dew effect but Bhowmick wasn’t sure enough whether it would be enough to make the 2nd encounter an even contest.

“We are prepared with Super Soppers and ropes. The groundsmen here are very experienced and I am sure they will try their best to handle the situation,” Bhowmick added.

Also read: Lack of rooms delays Virat Kohli and Co arrival in Cuttack

Meanwhile, Team India has been practising in Pune and will reach Cuttack only on Thursday morning as the hotel where the team is supposed to stay is already booked for wedding purposes and will be available only on Thursday morning.