Jaipur, Nov 15 (PTI) The team winning the toss is likely to lose much advantage due to heavy dew expected to fall during the first T20 International between India and New Zealand in Jaipur on Wednesday.
Jaipur is preparing to host the first international cricket match after eight years.
The coolness of winter can be felt in Jaipur at this time.
Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) officials and ground personnel told PTI that the dew has been falling since around 7 pm for the last two days and the first T20 match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium will begin at the same time.
Dew played a big role in the recently concluded T20 World Cup in UAE where teams preferred to chase down the target in better batting conditions.
An official said, “Looking at the situation in the last two days, here in Jaipur, the dew may fall in the first innings itself, which will reduce the advantage of winning the toss to a great extent. This is a T20 match so a lot of runs can be expected on this wicket.
“We will use anti-dew spray on match day but we all have seen that the effect is very limited,” he said.
In the last one-day international played here in 2013, India chased down Australia’s target of 359 runs in just 43.3 overs. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both scored centuries in this match.
Due to administrative crisis in Rajasthan cricket, Jaipur did not get a chance to host international cricket in the last almost a decade. Jaipur will also host the One Day International in February.
There is no limit on the number of spectators and in such a situation, the stadium with a capacity of 25,000 spectators is expected to be packed.
RCA secretary Mahendra Verma said that after being put up for sale online last week, around 8,000 tickets were sold in the first three hours.
Verma has been receiving a lot of requests for a near match and feels it is impossible to fulfill.
He said, “The thrill of the return of international cricket after a long time is understandable. After spending most of the time indoors in the last eight months due to Kovid-19, people are eager to watch the big match, which has led to a huge demand for tickets. ,
The Indian Premier League was suspended in May amid the second wave of the corona virus, after which international cricket will return to India with this match.
A successful home series is important for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as it plans to host the IPL at home next year.
RCA assured to follow the guidelines related to Kovid-19 on match day but on Monday more employees were seen without masks. Some members of the BCCI associated with the telecast of the match were also seen roaming without masks.
Anyone entering the stadium on Wednesday must be at least partially vaccinated. An unvaccinated person will be allowed to enter the stadium only after showing a negative report of RT-PCR test.
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