India are currently talking on New Zealand in the first Test of the three-match series at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. This is the final series India will be playing in the longest format before travelling to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in November. However, the Dahy 1 of the first Test has been completely a let down till now, as the rain in the city has not let the play start till now on Day 1, with lunch even being taken early.

The amount of rainfall could have stopped the whole day's play had it been any other ground, However, the state of the art drainage stadium at the Chinnaswamy stadium might just act as the saving grace despite the downpour.

The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) SubAir subsurface aeration and vacuum-powered drainage system referred to as the Subair system. This system works 36 times faster than a normal drainage system. The 200 horspeower- maching can drain up to 10,000 liters of water per minute. This allows play to begin as early as 15-20 minutes after the rain subsides.

“I had worked at the stadium for two or three years before the sub-air system was installed. I felt it was a tough phase because when it rained heavily, a lot of water would get accumulated on the outfield. The stadium did not have Bermuda grass like now; back then, it was mixed grass. In some parts of the ground, there would be more water than others, and it was tough to clear them,” Jacintha Kalyan, pitch curatipor had told back in 2019.

The system, according to a report by Sportstar took a whopping amount of Rs 4.25 crore to built. The ICC team which had visited India before the 2023 ODI World Cup was reportedly most impressed by the drainage system in Bengaluru.

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