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Day 1 of India’s two-day tour game washed out

The first day of the two-day pink ball game between India and the Australian Prime Minister’s XI was washed out due to rains. A steady drizzle bedding in from almost 10am right through to about 5.30pm ensured there was no chance of play during the day at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.

Day 1 of India’s two-day tour game washed out

Photo: IANS

The first day of the two-day pink ball game between India and the Australian Prime Minister’s XI was washed out due to rains. A steady drizzle bedding in from almost 10am right through to about 5.30pm ensured there was no chance of play during the day at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.

The covers stayed firmly on throughout the period, and the Indian team came to the ground for a while but left as the showers refused to relent. Later in the day, there was a period when the rain stopped briefly, and the groundsmen peeled off the covers, with support staff of both teams being briefed by the umpires, but by around 7pm Australian time, a heavy downpour ensured no action was possible thereafter.

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The match is expected to resume at 2.40 pm on Sunday, and the tickets for Saturday’s play will be refunded.

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The tour game was the only chance of getting any game time with the pink ball under lights, especially for the likes of Rohit Sharma, who missed the Perth Test due to the birth of his second child, and is set to lead the team in the second Test. The match could also be Shubman Gill’s first outing on Australian soil in the ongoing tour, after a thumb injury forced him out of the Perth Test that India convincingly won by 295 runs.

The second Test is a day-night game from December 6 in Adelaide, where India were bowled out for 36 in their last outing there during the 2020-21 tour Down Under.

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