By Jaideep Sarin, IANS
Mohali (Punjab) : Hours before the Nov 8 second one-day international (ODI) between traditional rivals India and Pakistan begins at the Punjab Cricket Association’s (PCA) ground here, an agricultural chemical will be sprayed on the grass to keep the dew away during the match.
Aspa-80, an agricultural chemical used in some countries to keep away dew from leaves of plants, will be sprayed on the lush green grounds of the picturesque stadium.
“We will use the spray at least four hours before commencement of the game. It does not ensure a dew-free ground but is able to curb it to a large extent. We had used it here last year for the first time during the Champions Trophy matches and it proved quite successful,” PCA ground curator Daljeet Singh told IANS here.
“The chemical forms a thin sheet over the grass, making the dew slip and it does not stick. This leaves the grass less wet. It is a partial solution. If there is heavy dew, even the spray will not help,” Singh pointed out.
A lot of dew is expected here when the day-night encounter takes place between India and Pakistan next Thursday. With early winter setting over the region, the dew is increasing with each passing day.
The 30,000-capacity PCA stadium and the cricket ground at Jaipur are the only ones to use the chemical.
After the spray was used last year, there were apprehensions from some quarters, especially the Australian team, about the chemical affecting the players. “But we told them the spray was being extensively used for agricultural purposes and people were eating that produce in western countries,” Singh said.
The curator says that given the wintry weather conditions and the pitch here, the opening batsmen from both sides will have to play out the initial few overs with the white ball before scoring becomes easier. “The ball will move in the initial overs of both innings,” Singh said.
“Batting first or second does not matter. The team that is able to sustain itself in the first few overs will score well. Pakistan were bundled out here around the same time of the year for a partly 89 runs during the Champions Trophy during the second innings. The dew factor will be there but not as important because of the spray and also because now the ball gets changed in the 35th over.”
During the Champions Trophy matches held here in October-November last year, only India failed to cash in on the conditions in the second innings while sides fielding second under lights won their matches. “Bowlers were able to bowl well in the second innings,” Singh said.
The pitch for this match is not new. It has been used in recent months for some local matches.