Cold conditions, dew would make batting difficult under lights

Mohali:

With cold wave conditions prevailing in the region and dew factor in the night, batting under lights won't be an easy job when India take on Sri Lanka in the second Twenty-20 international in the two-match series at PCA grounds here on Saturday.

"Batting under flood lights won't be easy. The scenario will be different when IPL T20 matches were played here in summer months of April-May last year," Chairman of the BCCI's Grounds and Pitches Committee and Punjab Cricket Association's chief curator, Daljit Singh said today.

India would be eyeing a win here after their 29-run loss in the opening match at Nagpur on Wednesday.

He said after the sun set, which is around 5:20 pm these days, conditions can change fast here and after 7 pm, lots of dew can be expected, particularly if there is a clear sky.

"There is going to be something for the bowlers under the present conditions, but overall it will be a good wicket with pace and carry," he said.

To minimise the dew affect, Singh said APSA-80 chemical would be sprayed. "If the conditions remain cloudy, then may be we won't have that much dew."

The night temperatures at Mohali and its nearby city Chandigarh have been hovering in the range of 6-9 degrees celsius during the past one week.

Yuvraj Singh and Sreesanth for India and Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have played here during the IPL matches, with all of them featuring for the Kings XI Punjab team.