News

2nd T20I in Rajkot hangs in balance as Cyclone Maha threat looms large

Written by Sumit Seth

After successfully playing out the series opener in New Delhi amidst the severe air pollution in the national capital, the alarming weather conditions in India are likely to throw another curveball at Rohit Sharma-led Team India when they square off against Bangladesh next in Rajkot.

With a terrible start to the bilateral series, the onus will be on Rohit and Co. when they take on Bangladesh in the 2nd T20I with hopes of levelling the three-match opera at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium. As per the latest weather conditions, Rajkot’s hopes of hosting the second meeting between India and Bangladesh are hanging in the balance courtesy ‘severe cyclonic storm Maha’ which is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm.

According to news agency PTI, severe cyclonic storm can make their presence felt between Dwarka and Diu on Wednesday night with wind speeds of 120 kilometres per hour.

“Severe cyclonic storm Maha lay centred 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 told PTI.

Cyclone Maha can cause heavy rains in Saurashtra “The storm will cause heavy to very heavy rains in Saurashtra and south Gujarat on November 6-7. It is moving towards Oman but will recurve towards Gujarat coast on Monday,” he added. Taking cognizance of the storm predictions made ahead of the second T20I in Rajkot, Indian match commentator and cricket expert Harsha Bhogle also flagged the unpredictability of the India weather on Twitter.

About the author

Sumit Seth