Covers on at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru as heavy rains washed out Day 1 of the first Test match between India and New Zealand.
Credit: DH Photo/Dinesh S K
Bengaluru: The 25th Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium got off to an inauspicious start. There was a sense of deja vu when showers of varying degrees throughout Wednesday, the opening day of the first Test between India and New Zealand here, led to the abandonment of the day's play.
Just over nine years ago at this iconic venue, rain and inadequate drainage had combined to ruin AB de Villiers' 100th Test with the last four days of the match being washed away.
It won't be a repeat of the same this time if rains relent. Chastened by the experience, KSCA authorities installed the state-of-the-art Sub-Air drainage system which facilitates the resumption of play without much delay.
Wednesday's washout, however, wasn't a bolt from the blue. Forecasts had warned of heavy to mild downpour throughout the day and after a few visits to the ground during brief rain-breaks, the match officials decided to call off the match at around 2.30 pm. The weather prediction for Thursday isn't too encouraging either, with rains expected to remain persistent.
In effect, this could turn out to be a three-day match considering the potential interruptions over the course of five days. Can India pull off another coup a la Kanpur? Only time will tell but India will spare no effort to make a match out of it for they have more to gain from a favourable result than New Zealand, who are already out of contention for a spot in the World Test Championship final.
At the start of the two-Test series against Bangladesh, India (74.24 WTC percentage points) needed five wins from 10 Tests to absolutely assure themselves a spot in the summit clash. Having swept Bangla 2-0, India now require three more wins from the remaining eight Tests [three against New Zealand (37.50) and five against Australia Down Under]. While you would back this Indian team to get three more wins even if this Test ends in a draw, they wouldn't want to leave it too late. Not definitely under Gautam Gambhir's watch. The hosts wouldn't hesitate to replicate the Kanpur template.
"I don't know what it is going to be here," skipper Rohit Sharma had said on the eve of the match about the team's strategy in case of a curtailed game. "But I expect to have a full game. That will be ideal. But let's see. Let's come here tomorrow and see what lies in front of us. And based on that, we will discuss what we need to do. Ultimately, our attitude doesn't need to change. We still want to try and win games. And whatever possible situation we have in front of us, we will try and make the most of that situation. And try and see how we can press the pedal and take the game forward."