Chawla may return for tie against WI

Updated on: 14 March,2011 06:49 AM IST |
Debasish Datta |

Those who entered the MA Chidambaram stadium yesterday were in for a surprise. For, what they saw on the centre of the field was not the 'nets' but a pandal-like structure

Those who entered the MA Chidambaram stadium yesterday were in for a surprise.u00a0 For, what they saw on the centre of the field was not the 'nets' but a pandal-like structure.

Actually, the pandal had been put up to protect the Chepauk pitch from the blazing sun.

Yes, it is a huge change in conditions from the cooler temperatures of Delhi and Nagpur to 32 degree Celsius in Chennai. Team India would need some acclimatization to do. The Indians were still in Nagpur yesterday. The players have been given a two-day break to do some soul-searching after Saturday's agonising loss to South Africa.

The West Indies, India's opponents in their last Group game here on March 20, have already arrived ahead of their Thursday's clash against England and had a practice session yesterday.

The combination of Chepauk and the West Indies could mean that Piyush Chawla might be brought back into the playing XI after being benched for the Nagpur tie.

It would not be lost on any fan of Indian cricket that it was at this very venue in 1987-88, a 19-year-old Narendra Hirwani grabbed 16 wickets on Test debut against Viv Richards' West Indies although that was the longer version of the game and the pitch is expected to play true for the upcoming encounter. What is crucial is that India needs to win the match to ensure their qualification to the knockout phase without worrying about net run rate.

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