New Delhi: The opening day of the much-anticipated warm-up match between India and Australia Prime Minister’s XI had to be abandoned due to persistent rain in Canberra on Saturday. The two-day match is a day-night affair and is to be played with the pink ball to prepare India for the upcoming second Test in Adelaide against Australia. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is currently led by the visitors 1-0.
As the gloomy confirmation was about to be delivered, the umpires had a chat with both the teams which agreed to play a 50-over-per-side match at the Manuka Oval on Day 2 (Sunday). However, it all depends on the weather which doesn’t look very promising for Sunday, although a bit better than Saturday. A thunderstorm alert was already issued in the Australian capital and the day turned out to be nothing different.
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.#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/qb56K8dtX0
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 30, 2024
The washout has firmly robbed India skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill of some much-needed pink ball game time ahead of the day-night Adelaide Test. However, Indians can get both bowling and batting practice on Sunday. The day (Saturday) can be termed as a dampener for Rohit, who skipped the first Test in Perth to welcome his second child, ahead of the second Test against the Aussies which starts on December 6.
Although the opener has had some extensive net sessions with the pink ball, facing quality bowlers in a real-match situation is something completely different considering India last played a day-night Test two years back against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru (March 2022).
India and pink ball Tests
Meanwhile, Gill had to miss the first Test because of a thumb injury and only recently returned to the nets. He is expected to slot back into the XI for the Adelaide Test. Gill, who had a great net session on Friday, would have surely been hoping to enter the match zone by playing this side game. As per several media reports, Rohit and Gill are expected to replace Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel in the playing eleven at Adelaide.
The team will now try to form some early plans for the pink ball affair on Sunday through that 50-over match. India have so far played only four pink ball Tests – a triumph over Bangladesh in Kolkata in 2019, losing to Australia in 2020 (Adelaide), winning against England in 2021 (Ahmedabad), and beating Sri Lanka in 2022 (Bengaluru).
Incessant rain in Canberra forced the first day’s play of the warm-up match between India and Australia Prime Minister’s XI to be abandoned. The teams will now play a 50-over-per-side match on Sunday, if the weather permits. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
