Persistent rain means there is only one conclusion. THE MATCH HAS BEEN ABANDONED DUE TO RAIN. There was never hope for a start, and now the fans will return back without seeing any action. That's it from here then, the 2nd T20I will be played on the 20th of this month at 12 pm IST (6.30 am GMT).
The rain continues to fall and any chance of us having some action is fading away.
India lost their chance of winning the ODI series against New Zealand on Sunday as the second ODI was canceled due to the disturbance of the rain. In a start-stop game, the match was reduced to 29 overs initially. However, India played 12.5 overs in the first innings, but the continuous rain after that meant it was not possible to continue the play further. Shubhman Gill was unbeaten on 45 runs at the crease, while Suryakumar Yadav was batting on 34 runs.
The third and final game of the series will be a do-or-die fixture for the Indian team, as a defeat will result in the series' loss for them. While on the other hand, the Black caps will eye a series win.
Reflecting on the frequent rain interruptions in recent times, Gill revealed that it gets frustrating to be constantly going in and out of the field. Also, he suggested that the boards consider having rooftops in the stadium.
"When the overs were getting reduced, it got quite irritating to be constantly going in and out of the field, unsure how many overs would we get to play. It made our planning difficult. Having rooftops in cricket stadiums is one decision that has to be taken by the boards. As a player and as a fan, it's very irritating to go in and out and have so many games getting affected by rain. I don't know how I can make a difference or take a stand for it, it's a big decision. Playing indoors would be difficult, but having closed roofs would be good." SHUBHMAN GILL Shikhar Dhawan praised Gill for his knock and also explained that the team included Deepak Hooda in the squad to have a sixth bowling option. "Not in our control, you just have to wait. We were waiting to get the game started, can’t help it. Now looking forward to the 3rd game. I was quite surprised with the surface, I thought it would be seaming quite a bit, but it wasn’t as much as the last match. It was good to bat on and to see Shubman perform this way was very encouraging. We wanted the sixth bowler to come in, so Sanju Samson missed out and Hooda came in"Shikhar Dhawan
New Zealand skipper Kane WIlliamson also expressed his disappointment with the final result due to the interruption of the rain.
"Disappointing (to lose this game to rain). The weather has been following us. Good team performances for us so far. Latham played a blinder (in Auckland), nice start to the series, looking forward to Christchurch now."Kane WIlliamson
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