Rain washes out opening day of India’s tour game, 50-over per side match to be played on Sunday

Canberra: The opening day of India’s two-day tour match against Prime Minister’s XI was washed out due to rain here at Manuka Oval on Saturday. With only one day of play available, it will be a 50-over per side encounter on Sunday The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the development on its official ‘X’ account. “Update: PM’s XI v India – Manuka Oval. Play has been abandoned for Day 1 and will resume tomorrow (Sunday) at 9:10 am IST. Coin toss will be at 8:40 am IST. Teams have agreed to play 50 overs per side,” the BCCI wrote. Persistent rain called off the opening day play of the pink-ball tour match before India and Australia lock horns in the second Test in Adelaide on December 6. Continuous drizzle from around 10 am to 5:30 pm (local time) left little hope for play, as the covers remained firmly in place. The Indian team visited the ground briefly but had no reason to stay given the conditions. A brief respite in the rain late in the day sparked activity, with covers being removed and umpires briefing team support staff. However, the ground staff eventually restored the covers and left at 6:30 pm, signalling no further action. Heavy rain resumed at 7 pm, officially ruling out any chance of play. Before the much-anticipated pink-ball face-off, the Indian team has the final chance on Sunday to get acclimatise to the match situation for the day-night Test. Rohit Sharma’s availability for the second Test has been a major boost for India while Australia will be without pacer Josh Hazlewood, who was instrumental in India’s infamous 36 all-out in 2020 in Adelaide. –IANS