Dew factor to make World Cup interesting: Dravid

NEW DELHI: Excessive moisture on the field at the Cricket World Cup will make the top-flight ODI competition all the more interesting, India coach Rahul Dravid said.

The 50-over tournament kicks off next Thursday across 10 cities, and all but six of the 48 matches will be day-night contests. In India that usually means high moisture on the field after sunset, which makes the ball moist and difficult to grip.

"India is a big country and there are many venues so it´s hard to say it (dew) is going to be the same everywhere," Dravid said after India´s 66-run loss to Australia in their third and final ODI in Rajkot on Wednesday.

"Each venue and each day will be different. It´s one of the hardest things to predict with dew," he said. Dew mainly affects bowlers and fielders as day-night matches progress, with most captains opting to bowl first after winning the toss as a result.

But whether it will be a factor at all is in itself unpredictable. Dravid, a former India captain, said he had played games on fields where the ground would be "soaked" the day before but bone-dry by match time.

"As the tournament goes on, at some venues it will be a factor and at some it may not. It´s going to make it more interesting," the 50-year-old said.

India, the top-ranked team across all formats, begin their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 8 followed by their hotly anticipated clash against Pakistan. They will also play two warm-up matches beginning with England in Guwahati on September 30.