New Delhi, India

Be it the hassle around booking tickets or local agencies denying providing adequate security for the World Cup games, the drama continues to unfold with almost three weeks left for the marquee event to get underway in India on October 5. Besides this, the latest reports suggest that the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala is said to have received a non-satisfactory review from the ICC’s inspection panel headed by pitch consultant Andy Atkinson, who reviewed all venues during their visit in September.

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In his latest report submitted, Atkinson said the Dharamsala outfield is infested by fungus and raised the concerns with all parties related. Commenting on the same, a source close to the information claimed the matter will be addressed by BCCI's top brass, adding the Indian board is hopeful of resolving this issue sooner than expected. 

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“Atkinson’s review was quite concerning. The outfield has been majorly affected by Grade IV fungal infestation. He has raised the issue with the BCCI operations team. The local authorities are looking into the issue,” a BCCI source told TOI. 

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The first game at the venue will be played on October 7 between Bangladesh and Afghanistan, while the India-New Zealand is scheduled on October 22.

Meanwhile, the unnamed source added that BCCI secretary Jay Shah might also travel to Dharamsala around September 20 to look into the matter, assuring the issue will get resolved.

“There’s an assurance given that the problem will be resolved by the time the World Cup comes around. The BCCI team will be doing a routine check by September 20 or this weekend. BCCI secretary Jay Shah may travel to Dharamsala to take stock of the situation,” the source added.

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History support claims

The HPCA stadium might be the most beautiful cricket stadium in the world, but it comes with its demerits. 

It is the second time this year that an issue related to the Dharamsala outfield is been raised. 

Earlier, during the Border-Gavaskar series in February-March, Dharamsala was scheduled to host an India-Australia Test but couldn’t, as the re-laid outfield remained bald till a fortnight before the match. The game was then moved to Indore.

Although Himachal Pradesh received heavy rainfall this year, the roads and infrastructure are said to be intact for the spectators to travel and watch the World Cup games. 

“This part of Himachal didn’t witness carnage due to the torrential rains. The infrastructure is intact. There won’t be any problems for travelling spectators,” the source said.

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