Frustration for India, New Zealand as Day 1 of Bengaluru Test washed out

The drizzle had more or less stopped post 1.30 PM but play was called off for the day at 2.30 PM.

Groundsmen cover the pitch area as it rains on the first day of the first cricket test match between India and New Zealand at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru.  Photo | PTI

BENGALURU: Whenever Chennai catches a cold," as the saying goes, "Bengaluru sneezes." This held true as the first day's play of the opening Test of the three-match series between India and New Zealand was washed out without a ball being bowled out.

Even as Chennai faced the worst of the disturbance in the Bay of Bengal, parts of Bengaluru were hit by heavy rains over the last 48 hours or so (both cities are approximately on the same latitude). The heavy rains relented but a steady drizzle hours before the start of play refused to stop.

There was a brief excitement for the few hundred who had braved the elements just before the scheduled tea break -- 2.10 PM -- as the ground staff made their way to remove the covers. However, their joy was short-lived as the covers returned following a brief inspection by the on-field umpires. They weren't too thrilled by what they said so they ordered more Hessians on a patch next to the strip.

Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal walk on the field during rains on the first day of the first test cricket match between India and New Zealand at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru.

The drizzle had more or less stopped post 1.30 PM but play was called off for the day at 2.30 PM. On air, Syed Saba Karim made the point that Hawk-Eye formatting needs to happen before play. Considering it takes 90 minutes or so to get that done (it's usually done on match eve but the surface has been under covers for more or less three days), it was going to be the only possible outcome.

This would frustrate both teams for different reasons. For New Zealand, coming on the back of a 0-2 reverse against Sri Lanka, this is the sixth straight washout day they have had to endure in India over the last month. Their one-off Test against Afghanistan saw no play possible across five days in Greater Noida thanks to a dodgy outfield.

For the hosts, this is a further disruption to their red-ball prep before the five-match series in Australia next month. Less than three weeks ago, the second Test in Kanpur against Bangladesh was a two-and-a-bit day of cricket after a combination of rain and below-par facility made the outfield unserviceable for a couple of days. 

With more rains scheduled for Thursday, do not be surprised by a further delay.