India vs New Zealand Test Day 1 got washed away: The Indian cricket team and their fans were left frustrated as Day 1 of the first Test against New Zealand, slated for the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 16, was completely washed out with toss due to persistent rain.
The reason for this frustration is that India will now have to force the issue further in Bengaluru to register a win, which is crucial for them with regard to the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final. India managed to secure a win in Kanpur against Bangladesh despite over two days of play being lost. But New Zealand in overcast conditions in Bengaluru would be a much tougher prospect than Bangladesh in Kanpur.
Both teams came into this contest on the back of contrasting results in their previous series. While India whitewashed Bangladesh 2-0 at home, New Zealand lost by the same margin to Sri Lanka. Before that, New Zealand’s one-off Test match against Afghanistan in Greater Noida was completely abandoned due to rain and wet outfield on all five days. So their tour of Asia so far has been grim.
India vs New Zealand Test Day 1 Got Washed Away
Wednesday morning in Bengaluru started with a drizzle, which delayed the toss and start of play, but it was expected to hold down and eventually make way for cricket to happen. However, after the first two sessions were called off, the drizzle turned into a proper shower, and the day was called off at around 2.30 PM IST.
Also Read: IND vs NZ: Bengaluru weather report
The toss and play on Day 2, Thursday, have been scheduled 15 minutes earlier than Day 1. This means that the new scheduled time for tossing on Day 2 is 8:45 AM, and the game is scheduled to get underway at 9:15 AM. This is if rain allows it to happen.
On all four days, the scheduled start time is 9:15 AM and play can be extended till 5:15 PM, which is an extra 45 minutes to normal close time, to allow 98 overs to be bowled daily.
IND vs NZ new session timings:
Morning session: 9:15 -11:30
Afternoon session: 12:10 – 14:25
Evening session: 14:45 – 16:45
Because no play was possible on Day 1, this is now effectively a four-day Test match. Because of this, there is also a tweaked rule regarding the follow-on: a team batting first can enforce a follow-on if they manage to take a lead of a minimum of 150 runs and not 200 runs, which is the margin in five-day Test matches.
Meanwhile, New Zealand is without their best batsman, Kane Williamson, for the first Test due to a groin strain, and India are without Mohammed Shami as the fast bowler suffered a swollen knee while recovering from ankle surgery.
India vs New Zealand Test series squads:
India Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep
New Zealand Squad: Devon Conway, Tom Latham(c), Will Young, Kane Williamson, Michael Bracewell, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Tom Blundell(w), Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Ajaz Patel, William O’Rourke
Also Read: Weather Forecast for IND vs NZ Day 2
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