Intro: Delhi’s rain threat adds uncertainty to India’s T20I opener against Afghanistan, with showers potentially disrupting the evening contest.
New Delhi
Delhi’s weather could play a role when Afghanistan host India in the opening T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, before the series gets underway in Delhi.
The match is scheduled to begin at 7 pm, with showers a potential disruption during the afternoon and evening. According to AccuWeather, the chance of precipitation is 64 per cent on Sunday. Hourly forecasts indicate rain chances of 10 per cent or less until noon before rising to around 50 per cent from 1 pm.
The possibility remains around 40 per cent at 6 pm and falls to 37 per cent at 7 pm, before staying near 40 per cent for the following two hours. It then drops to 37 per cent at 10 pm and 34 per cent at 11 pm. The forecast does not point towards a washout, but occasional showers could interrupt play.
If conditions allow, attention will turn to India’s returning stars. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson and Axar Patel are back in the squad after missing the 3-0 T20I series against Zimbabwe.
Bumrah, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar have been declared fit. The BCCI confirmed that Harshit Rana will miss the series because of a rectus femoris strain, with Yash Thakur replacing him.
The series is notable for Shreyas Iyer, who will captain India in a T20I on home soil for the first time. He previously led the side in the UK and Zimbabwe.
India will aim to build on their 3-0 Zimbabwe sweep after losing the Ireland series 2-0 and England series 4-0 on tour.
QUOTE: “The weather threat looms mainly through the afternoon and evening, though forecasts suggest the match may avoid a complete washout.”