Weather will be the crucial factor when Thiruvananthapuram hosts the second T20 international between India and Australia to be held played at the Greenfield Stadium on Sunday. However, Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) Secretary Vinod Kumar sounded confident of hosting a full match, saying that even if it rains one hour before the match, things will go on in a smooth manner as the ground has an excellent drainage system. On the pitch, Kumar said like in most T20 matches, the 22-yard strip will favour the batsmen. 'Never Cared for the Crown, Always Preferred a Sword' Ravindra Jadeja's Wife Rivaba's Poses With Husband, Pics Go Viral.

“However, we are having rains frequently and if the conditions remain overcast, it might help the bowlers as well," said Kumar.

On sale of tickets, Kumar said it was initially affected due to the heavy rains lashing the city, but after two days of sunshine, ticket sales have picked up pace.

"We are expecting it to get even better, especially with India winning the first match,” Kumar said.

In the first game of the five-match series played in Visakhapatnam on Thursday, India beat the visitors by two wickets in a thrilling last-ball finish. Now all eyes are on how the crowd would react to the absence of local hero Sanju Samson, who was till recently part of the Indian team. While the local cricket fans didn't take Samson's omission from the squad too well, chief selector Ajith Agarkar has said that the keeper-batsman is 200 per cent in their scheme of things. Ishan Kishan Reveals His Batting Plan After Scoring Half-Century Against Australia, Says ‘Constantly Talked to Coaches About the Game, Going Deep and Targeting Certain Bowlers’.

Australia will be playing in the state capital after a gap of 39 years. The last time they played here in an ODI in 1984, the match was abandoned midway due to rain. Chasing 146 in 32 overs the visitors led by by Kim Hughes were 29/1 in 7.4 overs when rain stopped play. India were led by Sunil Gavaskar.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 25, 2023 01:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).