Nehru Stadium, Chennai in good shape

The condition of the turf at the Nehru Stadium is more than adequate to host the semi-finals. A visit to the stadium on Wednesday evening substantiated the above reasoning, with the pitch and the surrounding running track being bone dry.

A view of the Jawaharalal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.

Chennaiyin FC have lost the advantage of playing the first leg of their semi-final at home, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, with the venue being shifted to Pune’s Shiv Chhatrapati Shivaji Stadium, on December 12.

The shift in venue comes on the back of the floods that ravaged Chennai. The city has experienced unprecedented rains over the last month, with the metropolis receiving more rainfall in the last two weeks than the United Kingdom does in an entire year.

The condition of the turf at the Nehru Stadium is more than adequate to host the semi-finals. A visit to the stadium on Wednesday evening substantiated the above reasoning, with the pitch and the surrounding running track being bone dry.

Pitch perfect at the Nehru stadium in Chennai on Wednesday. >@IndSuperLeague>@ChennaiyinFC>@atletidekolkata>#isl>pic.twitter.com/3KJKAFVEd0

— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) >December 8, 2015

After heavy rain lashed the city during Chennaiyin’s last home game on December 1, against Mumbai, stadium

officials have worked on the pitch. A ground staff confirmed to Sportstar that they used FIFA-accredited equipment to ensure that the grass level remained at 25 mm.

In fact, the running track is at present being used for the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu’s athletics training. The approach to the stadium is also devoid of water-logging, with the only issue being the bad roads.