Testing Conditions apply

His stint with Lancashire,and by virtue of being part of India’s tour party to England twice before,means VVS Laxman has seen England’s weather vagaries from close quarters. Though,his average of 44 in England shows that he also knows how to master these tough conditions.

Ask him about the intimidating tall pacers in the home team’s bowling line-up and he acknowledges that they can be a handful. But he soon moves on and stresses that it is the weather that will test the Indian batsmen most in England.

“At times,the weather can change three times in a day. So every session will provide a different kind of challenge to a batsman. Adaptability happens to be the key. One needs to think on his feet and read the nature of the pitch quickly. The behaviour of the pitch will change very suddenly and one has to be ready for it,” he says.

Sudden changes

The game can start under a clear-blue sky with the batting side having it easy. But in case the batsmen get a false sense of confidence,trouble could be just round the corner. A sudden cloud cover and a nip in the air would mean bowlers getting prominent movement in the air. This is generally followed by rains and a temporary break in play.

When the batsmen return to the crease after a longish boring period in the dressing room,they could find themselves on a pitch that has sweated under covers and this results in a pronounced deviation by the ball after hitting the deck. The pitch that seemed a belter in the morning,turns into a bowler-friendly surface by evening.

The Sri Lankans got a feel of this during the first Test at Cardiff recently. After scoring 400 in the first innings,the Sri Lankans might have felt they had got a hang of local conditions. But overnight rains on the final day changed things and they were dismissed for 82. The Sri Lankan batsmen’s inability to adjust to the conditions in that one session changed it all. England went on the win the Test and the three-match series 1-0.

The Indians too can be caught off guard since showers are expected during the Test. In England,predicting the weather is a fine art that they have taken to another level. Newspapers,websites and television stations don’t just speak about day-to-day climate changes but discuss at length the cloud patterns that will form in the skies for months to come.

There are even formulae that give an idea about how much the ball will swing after showers that are classified as heavy,scattered,mild,sporadic or moderate.

On Day One of the opening Test a heavy shower is forecast for cricket’s 2000th Test and the 100th between the two countries.

During the tour game at Taunton,the Indian batting folded early after a heavy downpour lashed the ground in the morning and the chances of play to take place seemed unlikely. Wiser after the tour game,the Indians would be dressed up aptly for the weather at Lord’s.