Rains could hit conditioning camp in Kolkata
Rains could play spoilsport during the two-day conditioning camp for the Indian team scheduled in Kolkata from November 2.
The two-day camp of the Indian cricket team here ahead of the ODI series against Pakistan could be hit by rains with the met office saying there was possiblity of thundershowers on November 2, the opening day of the camp.
The metropolis was lashed by heavy showers in the noon and the super sopper was pressed into service at the Eden Gardens, the venue of the camp, according to Cricket Association of Bengal Joint Secretary Samar Pal.
The weatherman predicted a generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of thundershowers for the next 24 hours starting this afternoon due to the development of a trough of low pressure over Gangetic plains.
"A clear picture for November 2 can be given tomorrow. At this moment we can only say that there was a possibility of light rains or thundershowers on Friday," an official at the Regional Meteorological Centre told PTI.
It was keeping the threat of rains in mind, that the CAB decided to shift the camp from the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club to the Eden, which has international standard indoor practice facilities.
Pal said the coaching staff - bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh along with cricket manager Lalchand Rajput - would arrive in the metropolis tomorrow afternoon to chalk out the plans for the camp.
"Rajput has told me verbally that on the opening day, the camp will begin around 2:30 pm. The programme for the second day will be decided on November 2," Pal said.
In view of the massive following of the game here, the organisers have decided to keep a gate of the stadium open for the public to watch the net sessions of the Indian team.
Meanwhile, security arrangements have been made for the Indian players right from the moment they reach the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport tomorrow morning from different states.
There would be a heavy police deployment at the team hotel as also the stadium, with several rings of security.
A police official said sniffer dogs and bomb disposal squad would be used to sanitize the ground before the camp started.