KANPUR: Rain has continued to play spoilsport during the second Test between India and Bangladesh here. After play was restricted to 35 overs on Day 1, overnight rain and incessant drizzle on Saturday morning meant the second day's play at the Green Park Stadium was called off in the afternoon without even a ball being bowled. Both teams reached the venue in the morning only to leave for the hotel soon.
In cricket, inclement weather confining players in their dressing rooms or hotels is not new. Almost every player, be it international or domestic, must have faced the situation sometime in his/her career and devised ways to utilise the free time while still staying in the zone for the match.
Former India all-rounder Suresh Raina, who played 18 Tests, 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is scoring 7988 runs and claiming 62 wickets in his 10-year career, was quite sure the India team that comprises lively players like Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma must be enjoying the free time. "I am quite sure the team that has players like Pant and Virat, and captain Rohit himself is a character, must be having fun. They would not be talking about cricket," Raina said with a laugh.
Speaking about his days and what he used to do when matches got delayed in Kanpur, Raina said, "Thaggu ke laddu aur Mishra ji ke chai aur samose (laddoos, tea and samosa from two famous shops in the city). Anyways Kanpur is a city where you can find great things to eat every 2km and interesting stories as well."
The 2011 ODI World Cup-winning player said cricketers talk on various subjects in such free time. "You talk about your previous matches in the dressing room. It happens during the Ranji Trophy and Test matches. The players have their favourite beverages, talk to coaches and senior players. I used to talk to senior players like Rahul (Dravid) bhai and Sachin (Tendulkar) paaji about my performance."
He added, "Youths like Pant must be talking about future matches. They are scheduled to tour Australia and then the World Test Championship final is also there next year. I am quite sure everyone must be switched on for the match as umpires usually give updates after every hour. Players are ready for the match despite staying in a different mode during such forced breaks."
Raina's former India teammate RP Singh said the players try to tick off boxes in their free time. "Players go to the gym to complete their targets. Someone does cardio while others do lifting. Basically, they try to utilise this time to complete their pending tasks especially to stay fit. They also play indoor sports like table tennis. No matter what, their sole focus is on the match and staying match ready," said Singh, who was Raina's roommate at the Lucknow Sports Hostel in his formative years.
The left-arm pacer said such a continuous spell of rain also forces teams to change their strategies. "The strategies have to be changed in such a situation. In this match, I don't think this will affect the home team but Bangladesh have to come up with new plans," said the 2007 T20 World Cup winner Singh, who had played 14 Tests, 58 ODIs and 10 T20Is claiming 124 international wickets.
