Sri Lanka cricket team stuck in Dharamsala due to inclement weather
If the weather doesn’t clear up on Tuesday too then Sri Lanka will be left with no choice but to travel by road to reach Mohali ahead of the second ODI encounter against India.
The Sri Lankan team has been forced to extend its stay in Dharmashala by a day as the chartered plane which was supposed to take them to Mohali, venue of their next match, failed to take off due to inclement weather on Monday.
While the Indian team reached Mohali on time, through a small window provided by the weather, incessant rains and weather left Sri Lanka stranded at the airport for close to four hours. The team then decided to head back to the team hotel and is likely to fly out on Tuesday.
“The team has returned to the hotel, and is most likely to fly out tomorrow. This is the first time a team has been stuck here. There have been delays earlier but it has never happened that the planes have not been able to land or take off,” said Mohit Sood, an official with HPCA.
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According to sources, the plane initially had trouble landing at the Dharamsala airport due to the weather. It was then decided to delay the departure as the weather had not cleared in Mohali too.
Ruling out travel by road in the night, Sood said Sri Lanka decided to stay back since they have time. “We had a discussion with the team management and they decided to stay back. But if the weather doesn’t clear up on Tuesday then the only option left will be to take the road,” Sood added.
The road journey to Mohali, about 240-250 km, will take 8-10 hours.
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Weather has been one of the talking points for the first two ODIs as the timing for both Dharamsala and Mohali games were changed. Instead of the customary 1:30pm start, the matches have been scheduled for 11:30 am start to overcome dew and fog.
According to MeT office, the region is expected to receive heavy rains or snowfall over the next 48 hours while a wet spell with rains or snow at many places would continue till December 14
