A new chemical bought from the United States called ‘Dew Cure” will be put to use in the India vs Zimbabwe fixture at the MA Chidambaram Stadium to deal with the moisture on the field in the evening. With the temperatures in the city rising over the week, dew had emerged as a potential factor at the venue where .
However, that may not be the case on Thursday. When the Chepauk outfield was relaid ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup, the Cricket Association had imported the chemical, which is used extensively at Major League Baseball venues.
As part of the preparations to make the ground ready for the fixture, the groundstaff sprayed ‘Dew Cure’, mixed with water, on the outfield on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. The plan is to spray it on Thursday afternoon as well so that it takes full effect by the time the match begins.
“Once Dew Cure is sprayed, it ensures that there is no moisture on the grass leaves. As soon as it gets wet, it will be absorbed and the grass leaves will turn dry,” sources familiar with the process told The .
On Wednesday when India had a long, extensive training session, they stayed back to check if dew could play a role. It is learnt that they were satisfied with the conditions, and may not be concerned about it.
It is understood that going forward, ‘Dew Cure’ could be used for the semifinals and final, but no official confirmation has come as yet. However, when the Indian Premier League commences next month, the BCCI is pondering to make it mandatory across all venues as dew has been a big factor when it comes to deciding the outcome of matches.
Having not included vice-captain in their previous two fixtures in against the Netherlands and South Africa, India seem to have learnt their lessons and are likely to bring him back into the fold. The left-arm spinner is likely to take the place of , and his presence will definitely boost a batting line-up short on confidence.
While the move to drop Axar was more of a tactical call, there is acknowledgement within the team management that they erred in their judgment. Having been an integral member of this squad, Axar has been their batsman for crises, playing crucial, game-changing knocks, like he did in the final of the 2024 edition. Given his experience, India feel he can be of help in case the top order fails once again as he can not only steady the ship, but also counter-attack without holding back.
As he showed against Pakistan in Colombo, Axar can also be used to bowl in the Powerplay, which will definitely come handy against teams that have right-handers at the top.
Meanwhile, Rinku Singh, who flew home for personal reasons, was expected to join the team in late on Wednesday evening, but his participation in the game remains under cloud. With the top order having its fair share of problems, India are pondering the possibility of ringing in a few changes without compromising on their team balance.
