Published: Jan 23, 2013, 12:08 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 23, 2013, 12:08 PM (IST)
Virat Kohli said that the Indian team is not convinced the fifth ODI will take place at Dharamsala due to inclement weather © PTI
Mohali: Jan 23, 2013
Indian batsman Virat Kohli is uncertain whether the fifth One-Day International (ODI) between India and England scheduled to be played at Dharamsala will take place due to inclement weather, and has thus insisted that the hosts clinch the series by winning the fourth ODI at Mohali.
India go into the Mohali match leading the five-match series 2-1.
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium, which is located at almost 1,500 metres above sea level, was given the right to host the match by the BCCI in the winter season, when temperatures drop to sub-zero levels.
While the entire northern part of India is going through a cold wave, states such as Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir have witnessed snowfall. Weather forecasts suggest that the match on January 27 could witness temperatures below zero degrees.
There were rumours that the fixture could get reallocated to a warmer venue. However, no such decision has been taken yet.
But Kohli said that the Indian team is not convinced the match will take place at Dharamsala. The MiD DAY reported that he has told his side to clinch the series in the fourth ODI at Mohali today and not rely on Dharamsala.
“It’s not certain we are going to have a game in Dharamsala,” he was quoted as saying in the MiD DAY.
“We are all aware [of the weather problems] so this game [Mohali ODI] becomes all the more important. It makes the game really, really important.
“We have to step up tomorrow. We will treat the game like it is the last in the series, we have to. But when you lose the first game in a series, that is how you go into every game,” he said.
