India v England Chennai Test on track despite Cyclone Vardah

Team India grabbed the five-Test match series against England 3-0 with a huge margin of an innings and 36 runs. After traveling around the country from Rajkot to Visakhapatnam, Mohali and Mumbai the action will now shift to Chennai where both the teams will play the final Test of the series starting December 16 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

The city of Chennai is not just preparing for the match but also for the Cyclone Vardah. The cyclone has hit the costal areas of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. But that would not come in way of the 5th Test and it will be held as schedule. IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla was quoted by ANI saying, “Fifth Test will take place in Chennai. Tamil Nadu Sports Authority is keen on hosting it. No changes as of now,”

It originated in southern Thailand and it has consumed at least a dozen lives in the country and the movement is now towards the Indian south eastern coast. The weather forecast on December 16 for Chennai expects rainfall in the state capital. Tamil Nadu is witnessing heavy rainfall and strong winds on Monday with the Cyclone hitting the coast; alert has been sent for another ten days.

The government has also ordered the schools and colleges in Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur to remain close on Monday.

Earlier this month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had asked the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) if they will be in a position to host the match after the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa late on December 5. With a new CM swearing in the state association expected things to return to normalcy soon and were willing to host the game.

“Yes, the Board did check with us, but we have not received any information from the local authorities, so there is no change to the schedule,” TNCA secretary K. Viswanathan was quoted by The Hindu. “We are monitoring the situation and will plan accordingly.”