Himanshu Shah, the Secretary of Saurashtra Cricket Association on Thursday confirmed that the second T20I match between India and Bangladesh would start on time.
"Fortunately, the precautionary measures worked and there is no problem due to rains that happened yesterday. The ground and stadium are ready and the match will start at 7 pm," Shah told ANI.
The second T20I match between India and Bangladesh, scheduled to be played in Gujarat's Rajkot, faced the threat of cyclonic storm MAHA.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday announced cyclone alert for the Gujarat coast and a yellow message as Cyclone Maha was expected to make landfall on the coast between Devbhumi-Dwarka district and Diu on Thursday.
"The Very Severe Cyclonic storm MAHA over east-central and adjoining west-central the Arabian Sea moved eastwards with a speed of 21 kmph during the past six hours. It is very likely to cross Gujarat coast around Diu as a Cyclonic Storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 70-80 Kmph gusting to 90 Kmph around noon of November 7, 2019," the IMD stated in its weather warning bulletin on Wednesday.
Bangladesh had defeated India on Sunday by seven wickets in the first T20I of the three-match series. This win was Bangladesh's first over India in the shortest format of the game.
Having lost the first match, skipper Rohit on Wednesday said that the focus of the team is to perform collectively. He also said that the conditions in Delhi for the first T20I were not ideal.
"The focus will be on the team to perform. Collectively all of us need to come together, the batters need to get the job done and the bowlers need to come out and take those crucial wickets. That will be the idea, we are not focussing on any individual department because we lost as a team, not as individuals," Sharma said.