India face decisions in heat and drought of Yorkshire

THERE is a familiar joke about rain, summer and the cricket season in England. "Summer," it goes, "begins when the rain starts."

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN @Chennai

Cricket is the country's summer sport with a bit of tennis on the side. But millions of TV viewers would be familiar with partially covered cricket grounds, fully covered tennis courts at Wimbledon and dark, angry skies.

This year, though, that may not happen. At least not right now and almost definitely not for the first Test of the five-match India - England series. When the two captains walk out for the toss at Leeds on Friday morning, do not be surprised if you see abundant sunshine. For England is now experiencing one of its driest springs in over 125 years. It's been so bad that Yorkshire (the county where Leeds is situated) has officially entered a drought. A water company has even given tips on how to conserve water. Local authorities are mulling a ban on hosepipe if the region stays dry for the next few weeks.