The play has been called off in Bengaluru due to incessant rains for the opening day of the Test match between India and New Zealand at 2:34 PM IST. The BCCI has updated that the toss will take place at 8:45 AM IST on Day 2 with the play set to begin at 9:15 AM IST, provided the ground is dry and there is no rain on Thursday morning.
The covers have returned, it has gotten really dark after a session of stop-start with umpires coming down in the middle for inspection. The hessian is back and it seems like the call-off news is near. For now, tea has been called.
And the mizzle or the spitting is back! This is getting frustrating and irritating both for the players and the few chunks of fans at the stadium. The rain and covers both have returned and we are slowly inching towards the inevitable news.
The rain has finally stopped and covers are being peeled off. Umpires are also out for inspection. This is massive good news for the sparse crowd present in Bengaluru. Will play happen today?
The stop-start continues as the rain, or the light drizzle has returned and the wait continues. It may just be spitting but there is no activity near the covers, which are firmly in place.
There is still no activity around the covers but the crowd has woken up from its slumber as the rain has stopped for the moment. The umbrellas are down, but it's still very cloudy. However, there is some hope.
The scheduled time has ticked past 11:30 AM IST, which means lunch. It is still raining and the hope continues for the play to start at some point of time on the day.
It seemed like the light drizzle had stopped before it picked up yet again and the wait continues. There were a few roars from the crowd when the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Virat Kohli made an appearance before it dying down with the players going inside again.
The rain has reduced to a very slight drizzle in Bengaluru but the wait still continues for it to be stopped completely.
The rain has reduced to a drizzle as per the live pictures but there is no movement on the ground. There are a few fans in the ground but rain and covers have dominated the proceedings so far and continue to do so.
It has been raining heavily since morning and there will be a delay. The toss has officially been delayed and the waiting game begins. Any movement at the ground will start only after the rain stops and then the quality drainage system can come into its work.
It has been a wet start to the week in Bengaluru and the rain threatens to be a dampener on all five days of the Test match. It rained heavily on the eve of the Test match and the practice sessions were cancelled and the forecast for the opening day, rather the first three days isn't that auspicious.
Kane Williamson developed a groin strain during the Sri Lanka series and has been advised to rest and rehabilitate. Williamson is yet to reach India and will hopefully will feature later in the series. Mark Chapman was picked as cover for him.
The lack of results under Tim Southee as captain had the writing on the wall as New Zealand have changed their captain with the veteran pacer deciding to step down after the Sri Lanka series. New Zealand are in a must-win zone as far as WTC qualification race is concerned having lost two back-to-back series against Australia and Sri Lanka. Tom Latham has been appointed as the new captain.
Team India released pacer Yash Dayal from the Test squad to let him play in the Ranji Trophy. Apart from that, the two-time WTC finalists retained all other players. The playing XI too is likely to stay the same except Shubman Gill, who had a stiff neck on the eve of the Test match.
After a couple of weeks, the Indian Test players will be in action yet again, this time against New Zealand in a three-match home series. New Zealand are coming off a 2-0 series defeat to Sri Lanka as their hunt for an away series victory in the World Test Championship continues. India, on the other hand, would want to seal the home autumn season spotless to give themselves the best chance of qualifying. Welcome to our live coverage of the opening day of the IND vs NZ Test from M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
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