New Delhi: A full-fledged game of cricket between India and England is expected in the second semifinal of the ongoing T20 World Cup Thursday as there is forecast of little to no rain in venue Adelaide during playing hours in the evening.
There is a 40 percent chance of rainfall and thunderstorms, however, but only in the morning, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
The evening is likely to remain dry, which is good news for cricket fans as the match begins at 6.30 pm local time (1.30 pm IST).
The Mets have indicated that the chances of rain at the Adelaide Oval — the venue of the semifinal game — will remain between 3 and 6 percent through the course of the game.
Conditions are expected to be cooler Thursday as the cloud cover will keep fluctuating between “mostly clear” and “partly cloudy”.
The temperatures will hover around 19-20°C at the time of the toss, but drop down to the 16-17°C range towards the final overs of the game, according to weather.com.
Conditions will be pleasant during the game with gentle southwesterly winds blowing at 13-19 kmph, and there may also be a little chill as the match progresses.
With weather concerns out of the way, India has a task ahead of them in the match as their record hasn’t exactly been stellar in knockout games.
Captain Rohit Sharma tried to dispel fears Wednesday at the pre-match press meet, saying one knockout match should not define the career of a player.
His own record has not been good in the final stages in the last three ICC tourneys. The cricketer was dismissed for 0 in the Champions Trophy final in 2017, for 1 in the 2019 World Cup semi-final and managed a total of 64 runs across 2 innings in India’s World Test Championship final against New Zealand in 2021.
Former captain Virat Kohli scored 5, 1 and 44 in these matches.
But doomsday prophecies aside, the Indian team has had a brilliant tournament so far with only one stumble against South Africa.
Though England has had a scratchy path to the semis, captain Jos Butler certainly doesn’t want an India-Pakistan finals. (Pakistan continued their miraculous run into the finals Wednesday when they beat New Zealand by seven wickets in Sydney.)
Butler said Wednesday, “Well, we certainly don’t want to see an India-Pakistan final, so we’ll be trying all we can do to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Also read: Breathe easy, India. Rohit Sharma’s forearm is fine, he is ready for semifinal against England