The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi,which will host the first ODI between India and West Indies on Thursday,is under pressure to get things right after the Duleep Trophy final fiasco. Only one days play was possible between North Zone and South Zone due to wet outfield and the two teams had to share the trophy. Union minister Sashi Tharoor had lambasted the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) after the incident,saying the state association has brought disgrace. He also questioned the money spent on the drainage system of the ground. Significantly,it also rained very heavily here on Monday and after that the whole ground was placed under wraps. Covers were still on till Tuesday evening despite no further rains,although KCA president TC Matthew claimed they had nothing to hide. Weve only covered the whole outfield as a precautionary measure,because weve a four-day rain forecast here. Weve been working very hard on improving the facilities and are very cautious after the Duleep Trophy. Weve already spent a lot of money on stadium upgradation and drainage, Matthew said. After the Duleep Trophy final we are trying to make everything foolproof. This ground is not exclusively used for cricket,still we try our level best. When the covers will be lifted you will see how much progress weve made in terms of bettering the conditions. Difficult surface Good conditions or not,the Kochi pitch has in the past not favoured scores of over 300. Earlier this year,when India met England here,batting became very difficult in the second half and the visitors folded for 158 in just 36 overs. Curator Ramachandran,however,is confident that this time it will be different. I wont call it a 300-plus pitch but 270-280 should be gettable,batting first or second. Theres some grass cover which will ensure even bounce and carry and will encourage stroke-play. At the same time,the new-ball bowlers will get some assistance, he said. If the pitch indeed does hold true then it would be a welcome change for the Indian bowlers who hoped to be replaced by bowling machines (thats what MS Dhoni said after India conceded over 300 for the sixth consective time) during the one-day series against Australia. The stadium has an official capacity of 55,000 but there could be an even bigger turnout given the fact that this is not an all-seater venue and the fans can jostle for space in the terraces as they did during the match against England. Tickets are priced at Rs 200,1,000,2,000 and 3,000 and the sale already has crossed Rs 90 lakh. Now,the organisers and fans are praying that the weather doesnt play spoilsport.
