GUWAHATI: It's very unlikely that the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here, will witness another 600-run humdinger. Light fades early in this northeastern state and hence, the sixth ODI will start as early as 8.15 am and end at 4.15pm.
But even an early start may not guarantee us a 50-overs-a-side match. Early morning fog may turn India's do-or-die match into a truncated affair. The average score on this ground is 240. And there is absolutely nothing between teams batting first or chasing -- both have won six matches each. This means the toss may not be all that crucial.
Curator Sunil Baruah, who has been looking after this particular strip for over 30 years, claims it is a 300 plus wicket. "There is no reason why teams can't score more than 300 runs here," he said. "The wicket is firm and I have outsourced the grass from Kolkata to retain the 60-70 per cent clay balance. The ball will come on nicely," he said. "But there should be some wetness on the outfield to begin with."
India beat Pakistan by five wickets the last time they played here. Nothing short of an encore will do.


