Cuttack:
India may be on a high after their incredible three-wicket win in Pune but when they arrive on Wednesday dew factor would certainly play on their minds ahead of the second ODI against England on January 19.
According to the local curator, the dew starts settling in by 5.30pm and if it does on the match day then toss may play a determining role in favour of the side batting second.
“There has been heavy dew for last few days and we will try our best to negate it—by using chemical spray, two super-soppers and roping the field,” Patnaik said today.
The outfield grass has also been trimmed to about six millimetres from eight so that dew soaks into the ground, he added.
The venue hosted its last ODI more than two years ago when India put up a record 363/5 here en route to thrashing Sri Lanka by 169 runs on November 2, 2014 to set the tone for a 5-0 clean sweep.
Virat Kohli-led India have already made their intentions clear gunning down England’s massive 351 by three wickets with 11 balls to spare in Pune to go 1-0 up in the three-match series and another run-feast cannot be ruled out.
“It’s difficult for me to predict a total but this pitch will be full of runs as it has always been. It will be out an out batting and it’s up for the batters to make it count,” the curator said.
The same strip was used last for the Haryana versus Jammu and Kashmir group C Ranji Trophy fixture that ended in a draw with the former taking three points on basis of their first innings lead after piling 502 in the first innings.
The two teams will arrive on Wednesday and practice in the evening. Eden Gardens, Kolkata will host the third ODI on January 22.
