DHARAMSALA READY to receive first ball of 5th India-Eng ODI

Dharamsala, January 23, 2013: Irrespective of the Virat Kohli’s fear of a wash out of 5th ODI at Dharamsala  due to chilly weather conditions , the town is walking towards a great weather in the coming Indo-England one day, the 1st for this Hill Town of Himachal Pradesh.

Earlier Kohli said in Mohali about chilly weather of Dharamsala , "It's not certain we are going to have a game in Dharamsala. We are all aware (of the weather problems) so this game (Wednesday's fourth ODI at Mohali) becomes all the more important. It makes the game really, really important."

But, the fact is different the sun is bright and warm here, though we have the heavy loaded snow covered mountains of Dhouladhar at the hand shake distance in the north, but still we have the day temperature around 15 degree Celsius at the moment, which is expected to climb to 19 degree till the match day(according to weather forecast), which is  ideal for playing the game. The weather here is a bit warm as compared to other towns of the vicinity due to an open Kangra valley in the southern side.

This  hill station Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, 1317 meters above sea level,has never before hosted an international match (official), but shall have one  on January 27 despite being deep in the winter season. Last year in the month January Dharamsala had a heavy snow fall. Even the cricket stadium was under thick blanket of snow, but it is not expected this year.

The organisers remain "hopeful" of getting a full 50-over contest in for the ground's first international. “We are set for the match. Only last-minute preparations are left and we are confident there will be no interruptions,” said the HPCA secretary, Vishal Marwaha.

Marwaha said the hill station had been getting a fair bit of sunshine, and that should better the conditions for cricket. Unlike other matches in this series, which started at noon, the Dharamsala game will start at 9 am, to help the players escape the late evening cold.

Having already hosted a first-class game involving Pakistan in 2005, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium has hosted IPL matches over the past couple of years, serving as the second home for the Kings XI Punjab franchise. It was the IPL experience that convinced the association that they were capable of hosting international games. As a result, Dharamsala will get on the international map on January 27. The people who have made the dream become a reality, and the fans who have readied themselves for a taste of international cricket, will desperately be hoping that the poor weather elements don’t have the final say.

A bulk of tickets have already been sold out. CM Himachal Vir Bhadra Singh is expected to be the chief guest; all the 67 members of Himachal assembly are invited to watch this first ODI of the state. Being the last match of the England’s series, the venue has become the most important as all the prize giving formalities shall be performed here, so as top BCCI officials shall also gather in the city.