All You Need to Know About the India vs New Zealand Reserve Day in Manchester
Persistent rain at Manchester forced the first semifinal between India and New Zealand to the reserve day. The game will now be completed on July 10 and will resume from where it ended on Tuesday.
New Zealand were on 211/5 from 46.1 overs when play stopped due to rain. However, due to continuous rain, it never resumed and was to a reserve day.
ICC issued an official release after the confirmation, stating the guidelines for the game to recommence on the reserve day.
"The game will continue where it was halted - New Zealand will complete their 50-over innings and India will then complete their 50-over innings, weather permitting. The match may be shortened dependent on conditions," the release said.
"For the match to be completed, India are required to bat for at least 20 overs. If after the reserve day the match has still not reached a result, India will progress to the final given their higher finishing position in the group stage."
The release further detailed on the validity of tickets for the fans, confirming that the tickets will be reusable for the reserve day.
"Fans are advised that their tickets are valid for the Reserve Day. They should keep hold of their ticket from today as they will require them to enter the stadium tomorrow. Ticket-holders are not able to sell their tickets for the Reserve Day if they cannot attend, due to the short turnaround time."
Earlier, New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat, but made a slow start to the game. After losing Martin Guptill in the fourth over of the game, gritty knocks from Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor pushed the Kiwi side to a respectable score.
Jasprit Bumrah (1/25 in 8 overs) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/30 in 8.1 overs), Ravindra Jadeja (1/38 off 10 overs) and Hardik Pandya (1/55 in 10 overs) did well in the middle overs to keep the opposition under check.
If the first Powerplay was witness to fine exhibition of swing bowling under overcast conditions, the middle overs had Pandya using the newly-laid two-paced pitch to good effect, bringing the slow bouncer to the fore.
A fresh day will certainly be advantageous for India as it will be a continuation and not a restart. Any advantage earned on the scheduled day will be carried through to the reserve day. Super over will determine the winner, if it's a tied match.
If the match doesn't happen on Wednesday, then India will progress to the final by virtue of finishing on top of the league table.
