Team India has had the perfect preparation for the 2023 ODI World Cup at home following a busy schedule between August and September. After a bunch of experiments in the tour of West Indies, which did receive criticism and raised questions over their World Cup plans, India ticked just about the right boxes at the right time during the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, which they eventually reclaimed after five years. And if there were any remaining doubts, the home series against Australia settled it. Hence, with a couple of happy selection headaches, India are all set to take on the most successful team in World Cup history, Australia, in their tournament opener on Sunday at the Chepauk, but the weather in Chennai could prove to be an unkind friend to the hosts. (India vs Australia Live Score, World Cup 2023)
Rain has played a dominant role in playing a spoilsport in as many as seven warm-up games leading up to the World Cup between September 29 and October 3. Of those seven, four were washed out without a ball being bowled and India were at the receiving end in two of those matches – against England in Guwahati on September 30 and against Netherlands in Thiruvananthapuram on October 3.
Although, rain hasn’t affected any of the four matches since the start of the World Cup on October 5, it could play a deciding role on Sunday with Chennai having received rainfall on and off throughout the week. In fact, heavy rainfall had hit parts of the city on Saturday evening as well.
Although rain over the week in Chennai has left fans and players anxious, with unpredictable thunderstorms over the last two days, forecast does indicate that there is little or no chance of rain on Sunday, with match set to begin at 2pm IST. According to Accuweatherthe chances of rain stands 10 per cent in the morning and diminishes gradually through the day hence offering India a chance to get their World Cup campaign off to a stellar start.
The unpredictability of Chennai weather still leaves rain as a potential threat in the game which naturally leads to the all-important question of what happens if the fifth match of the 2023 World Cup is washed out. Well, there are no reserve days for league matches and hence in case the match gets abandoned, both team will be awarded a point each.
