Rain had the last laugh on what a start-and-stop kind of a day that ended in frustration.
The day started with the New Zealand captain Kane Williamson winning the toss and opting to bowl first. The Indian openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill, started cautiously by batting with control.
While the Men in Blue were going alright at 22/0 in 4.5 overs, as predicted, the rain started to pour down. It didn’t stop anytime soon, and the play was halted for nearly 4 hours.
Once the game restarted, it was reduced to 29 overs per side, and the Indian skipper was dismissed in the second ball after the restart to Matt Henry. Dhawan scored 3 off 10 balls.
Then it was Shubman Gill (45 off 42), and Suryakumar Yadav (34 off 25) blistered through with an unbeaten partnership of 66 runs for the second wicket for India. When these two were going all guns blazing, the rain hit back, with India being at 89/1 after 12.5 overs.
This rain got heavier and heavier as it didn’t allow any play thereafter, forcing the umpires to put an end to a frustrating day. The match was abandoned!!
So, now India cannot win the series. The maximum they can do is level the series. While for New Zealand they are leading the series and will love to close it off in Christchurch on Wednesday!
It has been a frustrating tour for Team India and also the millions of viewers following the match. Hopefully, the weather stays clear on Wednesday and we have a game to end the series.
The 3rd and final match of the series will be played at the Hagley Oval at Christchurch on Wednesday.
Both teams will likely go unchanged for the 3rd ODI barring any injuries.
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