IND v SA: Delhi rains diminish likelihood of full ODI

“Rain, generally cloudy sky and showers in most places” have been forecast for Tuesday by the India Meteorological Department.

Soft mud and puddles of water await spectators queuing up for entry at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Soft rain and breezy weather conditions are bringing respite to the city and signalling the onset of winter after half a year of scorching heat.

There are waterlogged streets and traffic jams in various parts of the city, and puddles on the roads and pathways.

“Rain, generally cloudy sky and showers in most places” have been forecast for Tuesday by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), diminishing the chances of a full One-Day International to be played at the Ferozeshah Kotla grounds here.

Long spells of soft rain have been fairly frequent in the last few days. As per the IMD, a total of 121.7mm of rain has fallen in the city since Friday, including 74.3mm between 8.30am on Saturday and 8.30am on Sunday. And this voluminous rain comes just 17 days after another short period of intense rainfall that brought the satellite town of Gurugram to a standstill.

To be sure, the Ferozeshah Kotla boasts of modern equipment — including super soppers and pitch canopy — to be able to kickstart cricket not long after rainfall ends. If rains stay away on Tuesday, the DDCA can reasonably be expected to arrange a full 50-over contest. But there can be no play in case of persistent drizzle.

Moreover, the “generally cloudy weather” can prevent the sun from drying those parts of the outfield which are not covered by sheets.

And spectators may be inconvenienced, too, if weather conditions do enable a shortened duel between India and South Africa. Puddles of water and soft mud are likely to await them as they take their positions in queues to enter the stadium.

If play does take place, however, both teams will be happy to breathe good-quality air. The air quality on Monday was “good to satisfactory”, a rarity in the city. For the next three days, the air quality, as per IMD, is likely to be in the “satisfactory” category.