“Bahot jyaada kadake ki thand hai, aapko kya bataye….chai peene ki bahot jaroorat hai, (It’s too cold here….a cup of tea is much needed),” leggie Yuzvendra Chahal said in a recent BCCI video.
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Even though the morning had been graced by bright sunshine, the evening breeze had forced the 32-year-old to don his India jacket as he conversed with Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Hooda and Harshal Patel, the other three in the India squad featuring in their first T20 World Cup.
The 2022 T20 World Cup will mark the beginning of the Australian cricket summer. With a week left in the tournament to begin however, the summer is yet to arrive down under in its entirety.
Chahal TV 📺 from Down Under 👏 👏@yuzi_chahal chats up with @HarshalPatel23, @HoodaOnFire & @arshdeepsinghh as the #TeamIndia quartet shares its excitement ahead of its maiden #T20WorldCup. 👍 👍 – By @RajalArora
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Full interview 🎥 🔽https://t.co/65UeLbPunU pic.twitter.com/6EBZsONVjk
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 8, 2022
“Dheere dheere acclimatize karenge (We’ll acclimatize to the weather gradually),” said Harshal holding a cup of tea to add to his arsenal, apart from the team hoodie.
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It was quite the contrast in the temperature for the Indian squad, which arrived from home after playing the third T20I against South Africa in Indore at a minimum temperature of 22 degrees Celcius. In Perth though, the weather has been as low as seven degrees Celcius since the team’s arrival on Friday and is expected to remain as low as eight degrees till October 13, which is when India play their second warm-up match against Western Australia XI at WACA.
Here’s how the mercury will vary as India play their two warm-up matches against Australia and New Zealand and move into the Super 12 fixtures of the World Cup.
India Vs Australia, 17th October, first warm-up match, Gabba
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Temperature: 24/16 °C
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Forecast further suggests light showers through the day with winds at an all time high in Brisbane during October.
Vs New Zealand, 19th October, second warm-up match, Gabba
Temperature: 23/17 °C
48 hours is a long time especially after continuous showers over a week’s time. A 94 percent chance of precipitation added with an expected humidity upto 90%.
India Vs Pakistan, 23rd October, Super 12, MCG
Temperature: 20/12 °C
The mercury will dip further as India move from Brisbane to Melbourne with humidity around 70% with slight cloud cover and low chances of rain.
Vs TBD, 27th October, Super 12, SCG
Temperature: 22/14 °C
A mild rise in the heat with more sun during the day and lesser humidity than the last outing in Melbourne.
India Vs South Africa, 30th October, Super 12, WACA
Temperature: 24/12 °C
Perth will be slightly warmer for India when they return for the South Africa game towards the end of October. A couple of showers and thunderstorms are expected.
Vs Bangladesh, 2nd November, Super 12, Adelaide Oval
Temperature: 20/12 °C
The Australian spring ends in November but it is still cold earlier during the month. No probability of showers during the day with part cloud cover during the evening.
India Vs TBD, 6th November, Super 12, Melbourne
Temperature: 20/10 °C
The evening is likely to be the coldest outing for India at the World Cup with clear skies atop.
Semifinal 1: 9th November, Sydney
Temperature: 21/14 °C
Semifinal 2: 10th November, Adelaide
Temperature: 28/9 °C
Final: 13th November, Melbourne
Temperature: 21/10 °C
Despite the time only moving forwards and days closer to the eventual Australian summer, the World Cup is only expected to stay cold going into the knockouts as well. Expect warmers to be a regular feature of the player apparel at the tournament. A cuppa would be the preferred option during drinks breaks. For the men in blue who had weathered no less than 20 degrees during the recent home season, winter is here. Whether they will feel the proverbial heat down under remains to be seen.
*Forecast as of October 9, 2022.
