The first T20 International between India and Sri Lanka was called off without a ball being bowled due to wet outfield, caused by a spell of heavy rain just after the toss at the ACA Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday, 5 January
The umpires held several inspections but the damp patches on the pitch did not allow the match to start, much to the disappointment of fans who had gathered in large numbers to watch their favourite stars in action.
The cut off for a five-over shootout was 9.46 pm but the wicket couldn’t be dried on time. The groundsmen used vacuum drier, roller and even hair dryer and steam iron to remove the damp patches on the pitch, but it did not help much.
Assam Cricket Association secretary Devajit Saikia feigned ignorance, saying he has no idea about the seepage.
“Official reason is heavy downpour. Two spells of heavy showers did not allow the ground to be ready in such a short time."Devajit Saikia, Secretary, Assam Cricket Association
"I've no idea about it. I've not spoken to the curator or the groundsmen. Once I speak to them, I will get to know whether there were any lapses," Saikia added.
The second match of the three-match series will be played on Tuesday in Indore while the final game is scheduled to be held in Pune on January 10.
Earlier, India had won the toss and elected to field against Sri Lanka.
For India, Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja weren’t part of the playing XI.
The focus for Team India was expected to be on the duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Shikhar Dhawan, who were returning from injuries, as India look to identify the best combination for the ICC T20 World Cup later this year in October.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, who replaced Zimbabwe in the three-match series after the latter were banned from international cricket, will be eyeing their maiden T20 bilateral series against India.
Led by the talismanic Lasith Malinga, the visitors were are expected to give the hosts a tough fight and overcome their poor run of form against Australia where they ended up scoring 99, 117 and 142.
Playing XI
India: Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah
Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera(w), Oshada Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Isuru Udana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Lasith Malinga (c).
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