A cyclone threat is hanging over the second T20I between India and Bangladesh which is due to take place in Rajkot on Thursday.
According to the latest weather forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone ‘Maha’ is due to make landfall over the state of Gujarat on Wednesday. Maha is expected to gain in intensity in the coming days and could develop into a super cyclone by the time it makes landfall.
Rajkot lies approximately 100km off the coast of Gujarat and the entire area could receive heavy rainfall on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Severe cyclonic storm Maha lay centered at 580 kilometres southwest of Diu and 550 km southwest of Veraval,” IMD’s regional director Jayanta Sarkar was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
“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.
“The storm will cause heavy to very heavy rains in Saurashtra (where Rajkot lies) and south Gujarat on November 6-7. It is moving towards Oman but will recurve towards Gujarat coast on Monday.”
And now, with a game in Rajkot ahead, news of a cyclone on the West coast on Nov 06/07 with a danger alert issued to fishermen on the Saurashtra coast. Hope it isn't dangerous for the people living there. The weather has been most unpredictable this year.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 4, 2019
The weather forecast will not come as good news for the two teams who had to play the first T20I in New Delhi under adverse air-quality conditions. Questions had been asked of the BCCI for scheduling a November clash in India’s national capital with the region usually experiencing hazardous air-quality conditions in the winter months.
The game did go ahead ultimately with Bangladesh notching up their maiden T20 win over India in nine attempts. Despite the absence of the suspended star all-rounder and skipper Shakib Al Hasan, the Tigers outplayed the hosts as they registered a seven-wicket win in the series opener.
Trailing 0-1 in the three-match series, India will hope that the weather conditions in Rajkot will relent for Thursday’s clash, as they look to bounce back from their Delhi defeat.
