Colombo: Heavy rainfall in Colombo delayed the start of the reserve day in the Super Four clash of the Asia Cup between India and Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium on Monday.
On Sunday, under a sunny Colombo sky, captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill slammed quickfire fifties before falling in quick succession. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli were building their 24-run partnership before rain arrived in heaps to move the high-octane match into a reserve day.
At the time of rain interruption on Sunday, India were at 147/2 in 24.1 overs – Rohit made 56 while Gill scored 58 in a scintillating 121-run opening partnership. India were scheduled to restart their innings from that point on Monday, but heavy rain keeping the ground fully covered meant it played a spoilsport on those plans.
Before the match, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) had added a reserve day for the clash due to the rainy weather predicted to wash off the game. It came after persistent rain had prevented a result when the two teams played in the Asia Cup league stage match in Pallekele on September 2.
As per the playing conditions, a 20-over Pakistan chase can start as late as 10:36pm local time. Both India and Pakistan will share the points if the reserve day is also declared to be a washout. It means that India will be playing on three consecutive days, with their next Super Four game against Sri Lanka on September 12 at the same venue.
In the latest update from ground as of 3:45 pm IST, covers are being drawn back as the sun shines in Colombo. However, it is yet to be seen if the match reaches a conclusion before the clouds decide to return.
Brief Scores: India 147/2 in 24.1 overs (Shubman Gill 58, Rohit Sharma 56; Shaheen Shah Afridi 1-37, Shadab Khan 1-45) against Pakistan.
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