India had a strong beginning in the vital Asia Cup match against Pakistan on Sunday, September 10, but the game was interrupted by rain. In the Super Four stage of Asia Cup 2023 in Colombo, India and Pakistan faced off in their third match.
Babar Azam won the toss and chose to field, and this decision witnessed Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill making a blazing start for India. However, Pakistan struck back swiftly, taking down the openers in quick succession, leaving India at 123/2 in 17.5 overs.
KL Rahul, who had recovered from an injury, and Virat Kohli were in the midst of constructing a promising partnership when rain halted play. Following the rain delay, the ground crew employed a unique method involving electric fans to expedite the outfield drying process.
The ground crew utilizes electric fans to dry the cricket field
— Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (@Hanji_CricDekho) September 10, 2023
Earlier in the day, Rohit and Shubman aggressively took on the formidable Pakistan pace attack. Shubman had a few close calls, but Pakistan couldn’t capitalize on those opportunities. Their partnership of 121 runs was broken when Rohit mistimed a shot, giving a catch to long-off fielder Faheem Ashraf off Shadab Khan. In the very next over, Shubman was dismissed as he hit a fullish delivery straight to Salman Ali Agha at cover.
At that point, India’s score stood at 147/2 in 24.1 overs when rain intervened, leading to a lengthy delay. Eventually, the umpires decided that resuming play wasn’t feasible on the same day. As a result, the match will continue on the reserve day, Monday, September 11, with India resuming their innings at 147/2 in what remains a 50-over contest.
The Pakistani team might formulate improved strategies, as they may not have anticipated KL Rahul’s inclusion in the Indian lineup. Regrettably, the weather forecast for Monday doesn’t look favourable, with an 80 percent likelihood of rain expected.
Following the previous match between these teams ending in a No Result in Pallekele, fans are hopeful that the weather will be more favourable on the reserve day.
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