Even as a meeting was on to discuss the preparations required for the conduct of the India-West Indies One-day International scheduled on November 21, the ground-staff were busy digging new trenches at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium on Tuesday.
A day after North Zone and South Zone shared the Duleep Trophy, as a wet outfield forced almost the entire five days of the final to be abandoned, technicians from the Bangalore-based turfing company Transasia set about improving the drainage system on the western side of the ground. During the Duleep Trophy, with a semifinal too failing to go the distance apart from the final, areas near the boundary on the western side remained wet for long periods, with overnight rain being a constant feature at this time of the year. It is along that stretch that trenches are being dug to remove the compact laterite soil, replacing it with sand, to provide a channel for the water to flow. Transasia staff said that new pipes would be laid wherever required, connecting them to the existing network of pipes, to help keep the affected area dry. Also, the grassy surface would be perforated to enable better percolation. The trench-work would be over within a week, after which the ground would be groomed in the lead up to the ODI, the groundstaff said. Even with all the earnestness in preparation, the Kerala Cricket Association officials are keeping their fingers crossed, hoping that the skies would clear up in the second half of November.
Transasia, a subsidiary of Malaysian firm R S Group, were brought on board by KCA to revamp the drainage system and the outfield at the venue in 2011, after an India-Australia ODI washed out without a ball being bowled in October 2010.
The then revamp was carried out at a cost of `1.5 crore, said KCA joint secretary Jayesh George.