Wellington: Rain could once again disrupt the ongoing India-New Zealand ODI series, with showers forecast in Wellington ahead of the second match on Saturday. Persistent rainfall in the city on Friday has already affected the teams’ preparations, raising concerns over possible interruptions during the game.
According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, rain continued through the first half of Friday, forcing both teams to change their planned training schedules. The practice sessions were scheduled to take place at Basin Reserve instead of the match venue, Hnry Stadium.
New Zealand shifted its training session to an indoor facility, while the Indian team cancelled its scheduled practice.
The weather forecast also points to a significant possibility of rain on match day. According to AccuWeather, Wellington has a 60 per cent chance of precipitation on Saturday, with a 60 per cent probability of showers in the morning and 55 per cent in the second half of the day.
India vs New Zealand 2nd ODI: Hourly Rain Forecast
The second ODI is scheduled to begin at 3 PM local time, which is 7:30 AM IST.
Hourly weather updates indicate that the chances of rain will remain relatively low around noon, with precipitation probabilities of 5 per cent at 12 PM and 8 per cent at 1 PM local time.
However, the possibility of showers rises sharply to 49 per cent at 2 PM, an hour before the scheduled start.
The forecast shows a 55 per cent chance of rain at 3 PM and 60 per cent at 4 PM, raising the possibility of a delayed start or interruptions during the match.
The chances are expected to fall to 20 per cent at 5 PM, 15 per cent at 6 PM and 20 per cent at 7 PM. However, the risk of showers could increase again later in the evening, reaching 43 per cent at 8 PM, 47 per cent at 9 PM, 51 per cent at 10 PM and 40 per cent at 11 PM.
First India-New Zealand ODI Also Interrupted by Rain
Rain had already affected the opening match of the series in Auckland on Wednesday.
After bowling New Zealand out for 185 runs, India were set a target of 186 in 50 overs. However, rain interrupted the chase, forcing officials to revise the target under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.
The target was reduced more than once before India were set 143 runs in 32 overs.
India completed the chase comfortably, reaching 143 for five in 22.4 overs to win the match by five wickets.
With rain once again featuring prominently in the Wellington forecast, both teams could face another weather-affected contest in the second ODI.