Guwahati | Jagran Sports Desk: Rain has delayed the start of the first T20 International between India and Sri Lanka here on Sunday. The rain extended the fans' wait to see the return of India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah from a four-month injury layoff. It started with a drizzle before the rain got heavier at the Barsapara Stadium.
For team India, all eyes would be on Jasprit Bumrah who is making a comeback to international cricket after four months. While Bumrah predictably grabs more eyeballs, the series is also important for Shikhar Dhawan, making a comeback into the team post knee injury. He will also look to make an impact in absence of rested vice-captain Rohit Sharma with KL Rahul in red-hot form at the other end. The Indian team would also look to seal the slots in the squad for the World T20 in Australia.
Here are the LIVE updates from the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati:
21:57 pm: That is the end of that. After a delay of nearly three hours, the game has been called off.
21:53 pm: We are still waiting for the final verdict from the umpires whether we will get a game or not.
21:29 pm: The cut-off for having a five-over game is 9.46 pm.
21:15 pm: Next inspection at 9.30.
20:58 pm: Inspection to begin shortly.
20:26 pm: The rain has stopped and the pitch repair act continues with the vacuum cleaner.
20:19 pm: Just as the vacuum cleaner was trying its hardest to dry the patches, the rain has returned. Covers are brought on, with an extra layer being put on the pitch this time around.
20:03 pm: Inspection has been shifted to 9.00 pm.
19:56 pm: It has stopped raining and we will have an inspection at 8.15 PM IST.
19:55 pm: The covers are being taken off and the sky is slowly getting clearer.
19:52 pm: The rain seems to have stopped completely. The two umpires are making their way out to the middle for an inspection of the ground conditions.
19:40 pm: The rain has gotten heavier again. Further delay is expected.
19:32 pm: The rain has dropped intensity but hasn't stopped completely yet. The groundsmen are out in the middle to do their work.
19:24 pm: Shikhar Dhawan: Lots of injuries last year, but it's part and parcel of the game. It's a new year, looking forward to a new start. I always take things in a positive manner. Injuries are natural, just take them in my stride. Looking forward to score lots of runs this year, be a more impactful player, win matches for my team and win the World Cup. This series is a good opportunity for me to score runs. Am always developing my game, developing new shots.
19:09 pm: The rain has intensified and a further delay is now expected.
19:04 pm: The intensity of the showers has picked up and we will have a delayed start in the first T20I of the year. The pitch and areas of the 30-yard circle have been covered now.
18:56 pm: Bad news! It has started to rain in Guwahati. Covers are at the ground.
18:47 pm: There are plenty of cracks. This is not a pretty-looking pitch. I don't think batsmen will have it that easy. Yes, there will be runs as it's T20 but there will be help for spinners. It is a bit tacky. Captains will want to chase because he doesn't want dew to affect his bowlers. Also, he wants to know the target: Sunil Gavaskar
18:41 pm: Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera(w), Oshada Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Isuru Udana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Lasith Malinga(c)
18:38 pm: India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah
18:35 pm: Lasith Malinga: Happy to bat first. Don't think the track will change too much. We have prepared well and will want to put it into performances. Need to put runs on the board and then take it from there. We have brought 16 players as we need to finetune our combination for the World Cup. Three seamers and two spinners for us. Need five genuine bowlers to put pressure on India.
18:33 pm: Virat Kohli: We're gonna bowl first. We haven't played here in a while. The last time we played here, we chased well. The game we played prior to that against Australia, they chased well too. The track does play differently in the second half as compared to the first part. It's a good thing actually, there isn't too much of a difference in conditions, except that the track settles down better later on with the wet ball. Last year was outstanding for us in two formats, T20s not so much. Good thing though is that we have a World Cup coming up and we'll be taking things more seriously. Pandey, Samson, Chahal and Jadeja aren't playing. Kuldeep and Washington because of their left-handers and we have three seamers.
18:31 pm: India win toss, opt to bowl first
18:25 pm: Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini and Washington Sundar.
Sri Lanka: Lasith Malinga (captain), Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Perera, Niroshan Dickwella, Dhananjaya de Silva, Isuru Udana, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Oshada Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Kusal Mendis, Lakshan Sandakan and Kasun Rajitha.
18:20 pm: The first T20I would be played at Guwahati.
18:15 pm: The Indian cricket team would look to win another series against Sri Lanka.
Posted By: Aalok Sensharma
