LOOKING FOR SILVER LINING

As Rain Takes Centrestage Ahead Of Big Match, India & Pak Work Overtime To Devise A Plan To Get On A Roll

- Partha Bhaduri

Melbourne: For a while on match eve, it seemed Indian and Pakistani cricketers and fans had brought their own sunshine to the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It even seemed a possibility that the notoriously fickle Melbourne weather, in deference to the big occasion, would deign to keep the rain away in time for a full game on Sunday.

Constantly grim predictions from the local Met Bureau have bombarded local news outlets all week. Flood alerts were issued as late as Friday evening. To follow them up, it rained nearly through the night, leading to Pakistan’s early morning session being rescheduled. When the Indians trained a few hours later, bright sunshine, huge crowds and cheery chants were the order of the day. It seemed a miraculous turnaround but as expected, a short-lived one.

As Crowded House sang about Melbourne, “Even when you’re feeling warm / The temperature could drop away / Like four seasons in one day.” In Melbourne, you never really know when you might need a jacket or a raincoat. Or a spinner or a pinch-hitter, for that matter.