Aussies struggle in sapping Kolkata heat

Australia's players have battled in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees in the second ODI against India in Kolkata.

After a week of wet weather in West Bengal, the sun finally appeared on Thursday and an 'apparent temperature' of 42 degrees Celsius was reported by mid-afternoon. An 'apparent temperature' or 'heat index' measures the temperature felt by the skin rather than just a standard temperature reading and factors in things like humidity and radiation from the sun.

LIVE: INDIA v AUSTRALIA, SECOND ODI

Having been asked to field first by home skipper Virat Kohli, Aussie fast bowlers Patrick Cummins and Nathan Coulter-Nile left the field to rest and recover after both delivered four-over opening spells.

Recalled quick Kane Richardson also needed some attention and fluids from team support staff during his spell and spent several moments at the end of each over with his head bowed and his hands on his knees. He also left the field after finishing his four-over spell.

Image Id: 7497B37BE13445DE9D0DFCC5F5BC6446 Image Caption: Matthew Wade required medical attention // Fox Sports

And the quicks weren't the only ones who struggled in the high humidity; at the end of the 13th over, wicketkeeper Matthew Wade crouched down on his haunches as team doctor Richard Saw came to his aid. The keeper had a drink and took a few moments to compose himself before changing ends to start the next over.

Allrounder Hilton Cartwright also had ice packs applied to his neck and head as he too appeared to suffer.

Reserve fielders James Faulkner, Adam Zampa, Aaron Finch and Peter Handscomb brought drinks, towels and ice packs onto the ground in between overs and walked around the boundary rope to provide refreshments for fielders in the deep.

Image Id: B7C54A1BE3784F41A65E9C07F1E2CEF3 Image Caption: Kane Richardson found it tough going // Fox Sports

While conditions were oppressive, team members on the recent Test tour of Bangladesh commented they are not quite as bad they were during the second Test in Chittagong, where batsman Peter Handscomb needed a lengthy medical time out during his long stay at the crease.

Kolkata is located just 200km due east of Chittagong.

AUSTRALIA XI: Steven Smith (c), David Warner, Hilton Cartwright, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kane Richardson.

INDIA XI: Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah.

 

Australia's Qantas Tour of India

Australia ODI squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.

Australia T20 squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner, Jason Behrendorff, Dan Christian, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa.

India squad (first three ODIs): Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami.

ODI Fixtures

September 17: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

September 21: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

September 24: Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore

September 28: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

October 1: VCA Stadium, Nagpur

T20 Fixtures

October 1: JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi

October 10: Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati

October 13: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad