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As India gear up to face Pakistan in World T20, host city Kolkata had heavy rain on Saturday morning. The match starts at 7.30 pm, fans would be hoping that the much awaited clash is not rain-marred. (India vs Pakistan World T20: Five Key Battles To Watch Out For)
It was cloudy since 6 am onwards, band it started raining around 9am with great intensity. It rained for one hour, before the sun made a brief appearance and then overcast conditions were back. (India vs Pakistan in World T20: Just a Game of Cricket or Much More Than That?)
Storms in Calcutta at this time of the year usually comes from the North-west, hitting the city late in the afternoon or evening. Since the India-Pakistan game starts at 7:30 pm, there is every chance of a match being affected by a storm. (India vs Pakistan World Twenty20: Hosts Hold Big Edge Over Arch-Rivals)
Eden Gardens poor drainage has been a perennial problem, one which has resulted in various international and Indian Premier League (IPL) matches to be washed out during this time of the year.
The most recent instance of a match being washed out at Eden was on October 8, 2015, when the T20 tie between India and South Africa had to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.
However, since then the Eden Gardens has gone through a few major changes. A booster shot of sand has been injected into the stadium’s turf to make rain-water seep underground quickly and keep the surface from becoming slushy.
A new super sopper machine, used to dry the ground, also arrived last Sunday, taking the total super sopper count at the Eden Gardens to five.
Source: NDTV