India vs Sri Lanka: Rain plays spoilsport, first T20I called off without a ball bowled due to wet patches on pitch

Guwahati: The first T20I between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned due to damp patches on the track, with the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) groundsmen failing to prevent the rainwater from seeping into the covers. It started pouring 15 minutes before the scheduled time after India skipper won the toss and elected to bowl. [caption id=“attachment_7863831” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] India captain Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan inspect the pitch the wet patches on the pitch at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. AP[/caption] The umpires held several inspections but the dampness on the pitch did not allow a single ball to be bowled, much to the disappointment of a strong 35000 crowd at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, which was hosting only its second T20I. The cut off for a five-over shootout was 9.46 pm but the outfield could not be prepared in time and match referee David Boon called off the match shortly before 10 pm. The groundsmen even used vacuum drier to remove the damp patches on the pitch but it did not help much after water leaked into the covers. Terming it a “school-boy error”, cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra lashed out at the ACA’s negligence, while former India opener VVS Laxman called it an “elementary mistake”. “It’s nothing but a schoolboy error. The 22-yard is a sacrosanct place and they have left a few holes in the cover as some amount of water has seeped in. It is some amount of negligence. You can’t have an excuse at this level,” Chopra said. The groundsmen toiled hard for two hours, using a steam iron, roller, and a big drier to clear up the dampness but it all turned out to be futile. The second match of the three-match series will be played on Tuesday in Indore while the final game is scheduled to be held in Pune on 10 January. India pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who was out of action for four months due to stress fractures in his back, was named in the eleven by Kohli, who won the toss.