Team India is all set to take on Pakistan in their opening match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at Melbourne Cricket Stadium on Sunday, 23 October. However, the weather gods are not in a good mood as the Australian city has been receiving heavy rains for the past few days. According to the local Meteorological Department, there is an 80 to 90 percent chance of rain, the amount of which can be between 1 mm and 5 mm. Thunderstorms have also been predicted, which however is at least 13 per cent.
Rain threat on IND vs PAK in ICC T20 World Cup 2022? pic.twitter.com/5qvsScDXxo— Akash Kharade (@cricaakash) 18 October 2022
When asked about the weather and the possibility of a rain-interrupted match at the Pakistan pre-match press conference, India captain Rohit Sharma said, “It’s in the hands of the upper one, who is in the weather-wise. That’s it. When all It’s 40 overs, it’s more competitive. But we have to prepare ourselves for whatever happens.”
There was heavy rain in Melbourne on Friday evening and something similar on Sunday could bring doom for the cricket fans. However, the locals, who are well aware of the change in weather, are confident that even if the skies open up, the match may still be cut short.
Talking about the return of Mohammed Shami, Rohit said that the team is happy to have him back. He also said that he wanted to give match practice to Shami in the warm-up match against New Zealand but the game got washed out. “His body was something we wanted to see. We wanted him to recover. We wanted to give him a full four overs in the practice game, but it didn’t happen. He looked pretty ready in his preparation. It was just It’s about execution now and doing what Shami does,” Rohit said.
Asked how important the special camp was before the ICC T20 World Cup, as India usually comes to such big events only after playing an IPL or bilateral series. “It was a conscious decision by the BCCI and the team management after the last tournament. We knew where the World Cup was taking place, so we wanted to come here (early) and get used to the conditions. A lot of people in the team Australia I haven’t played before. It was an important decision. Adapting to the time zone. I felt the way we prepared in Perth, we were lucky enough to get that time,” the India captain said.