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Dravid: Dew factor to make WC interesting

The WC kicks off Thursday across 10 cities, and all but 6 of the 48 matches will be day-night contests

Update : 30 Sep 2023, 07:24 PM

Excessive moisture on the field at the Cricket World Cup will make the top-flight One Day International competition all the more interesting, India coach Rahul Dravid said.

The 50-over tournament kicks off Thursday across 10 cities, and all but six of the 48 matches will be day-night contests. 

In India that usually means high moisture on the field after sunset, which makes the ball moist and difficult to grip.

"India is a big country and there are many venues so it's hard to say it (dew) is going to be the same everywhere," Dravid said after India's 66-run loss to Australia in their third and final ODI in Rajkot last Wednesday.

"Each venue and each day will be different. It's one of the hardest things to predict with dew," he said.

Dew mainly affects bowlers and fielders as day-night matches progress, with most captains opting to bowl first after winning the toss as a result.

But whether it will be a factor at all is in itself unpredictable.

Dravid, a former India captain, said he had played games on fields where the ground would be "soaked" the day before but bone-dry by match time.

"As the tournament goes on, at some venues it will be a factor and at some it may not. It's going to make it more interesting," the 50-year old said.

India, the top-ranked team across all formats, begin their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 8 followed by their hotly anticipated clash against Pakistan.

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