And if that alone isn’t enough, an AR Rahman concert over the weekend has added to the madness. The biggest talk of the town is a new Rajini film, Jailer, which hits the screens on Thursday. But for once, an India-Pakistan match isn’t the most sought-after event. The age-old rivals will write a new chapter of their hockey history at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Wednesday. But it has nothing to do with India and Pakistan. There’s an unmistakable buzz in the heavy, humid Chennai air. The lesser mortals queue up outside the cramped box offices. Tickets have been booked in bulk and given for free to a privileged few. India and Pakistan hockey vs Rajinikanth in Chennai By every passing outing, it is becoming increasingly visible that India, as head coach Craig Fulton mentioned, are peaking in terms of their fitness and intensity levels as they defeated Korea 3-2 in their fourth league match at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium. In comparison, hosts India have had the luxury of not just playing all their matches at 8:15 pm, in the company of a slight breeze, but have also got enough recovery time for their players. Malaysia, who played the late evening game against India, which they lost 0-5, had only a 16-hour turnaround before they faced Japan in Monday’s first game. In such extreme conditions, just weeks ahead of the Hangzhou Asian Games, Korea have endured three back-to-back 4:15 pm starts. With humidity too on the higher side and breeze non-existent, teams have been struggling to maintain intensity. In what is a second summer in Chennai, where afternoon temperatures have been touching 40 degree Celsius in certain pockets, it has tested the players to the core. To say the Asian Champions Trophy has been gruelling on players would be a massive understatement.
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