Three days of sunshine. That’s what K Parthasarathy, pitch curator at Chepauk, needs if the Test is to start as scheduled on December 2. ‘‘I have 25 people working on the ground but a dry spell hasn’t lasted over 25 minutes for all of last week,” he says.The ground conditions:• Outfield is the worst affected. The area along the circumference of the boundary line has become slippery and mucky making walking, leave alone fielding, impossible• Three covers have been laid out but 12 will be put out if it keeps raining• The 22-yard strip is 75 per cent safe. The adjacent practice wickets are in good condition as well‘‘It’s never happened before,” he says. “Only Day One of the sixth Test (Dec 24, 1983) against West Indies was lost to rain. But Gavaskar went on to make an unbeaten 236, then a record.’’Parthsarathy can see his worst fears coming true. It’s still raining, is scheduled to on the CNN forecast and waterlogging is a common sight. If there’s a silver lining, it’s the ground’s drainage system.TNCA secretary C Vijayaraghavan clearly wasn’t interested in the goings-on at the venue; top of his mind was the BCCI AGM in Kolkata. ‘‘I’ve no time to answer any queries, I’m leaving for Kolkata’’, he said.
