After the first match of Bangladesh’s tour of India came under the scanner for taking place in the severely pollution-hit city of Delhi, the second match in Rajkot could potentially be derailed by a cyclone in Gujarat.
Severe cyclonic storm Maha is likely to make landfall along Gujarat coast on the night of November 6 and bring heavy to very heavy rains till the next day, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The second Twenty20 International is scheduled for Thursday, November 7.
“Severe cyclonic storm Maha lay centered at 580 kilometres southwest of Diu and 550 kms southwest of Veraval. It is most likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm and make landfall between Dwarka and Diu on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning with wind speeds of 120 kilometres per hour,” regional IMD director Jayanta Sarkar was quoted as saying by PTI.
On their part, the Saurashtra Cricket Association has made the requisite arrangements to ensure the ground is not affected and the match goes ahead as planned.
“We have covered the ground to make sure the match can start on time in case the rain does disrupt,” Jaydev Shah, head of the SCA, told ESPNcricinfo.
Bangladesh lead the three-match series after a Mushfiqur Rahim masterclass took them to their first ever T20I win over India on Sunday.