India vs England Test faces weather chaos with icy conditions set to cause havoc

05 March 2024 , 15:28

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Ben Foakes of England warms up during the England Net Session at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (Image: Philip Brown/Popperfoto)

Sleet and low temperatures could disrupt England's fifth Test versus India.

The final test of the series, which England have already lost after the home side went 3-1 up, could be set for 'English conditions' with forecasts predicting low tempartures in addition to rain and sleet. The tourists will still have World Test Championship points to play for in Dharamsala.

The match is set to get underway in the Himalayan venue on Thursday in which the BBC suggest there will be 'sleet showers and light winds' with temperatures ranging between -4 and 2 degrees celsius. Reports suggest there could be multiple interruptions to play over the course of five days, though the opening day could bear the brunt of the worst conditions.

The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium has only hosted a Test match once before, when Australia were the visitors to the area in 2017. A second match was due to be played last year against the side from Down Under but issues with the outfield saw it relocated.

India will hope to secure their place at the top of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25. The tour hosts jumped up to second in the standings with victory over England in the fourth test, before New Zealand's loss to Australia saw the Men in Blue rise to the top of the table.

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Twelve points will be available in the coming days before India's schedule is paused until September. The Indian Meteorological Department's local weather forecast suggests the team's efforts could be in vain with rain potentially impacting the fifth day in addition to the dramatic prospects of day one.

England returned to training this week after a lengthy break following their five wicket defeat on day four of the fourth Test. Ben Stokes and co will be looking to earn a second win of the tour after starting the campaign on the front foot to go 1-0 up.

England are set for chilly conditions in their final test versus India (SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP)

The travelling side could still earn some famous moments for the thousands of England fans making the trip, despite India's unassailable lead. James Anderson could be fit for the clash and is just two wickets short of 700 in Tests after he was absent from much of the second innings in Ranchi.

Mark Wood could return to the side in place of Ollie Robinson, while Stokes could also return to bowling action. The conditions present could leave selectors tempted to provide Gus Atkinson with a debut due to more seam-friendly conditions. That would see either Tom Hartley or Shoaib Bashir miss out.

Scott Trotter