IND vs ENG 2021: "Rehne do mat karo" - Fans vent frustration with hilarious memes as India-England Test is halted thrice in 1 over
Fans around the world were left frustrated as the enthralling contest between India and England at Trent Bridge was halted thrice within a single over due to inclement weather, before being called off entirely.
James Anderson had bowled the first ball of his 46th over when the umpires first advised the players to head back due to bad light. Play resumed after an hour and 45 minutes, only to see one ball delivered before rain intervened once again.
If that wasn't enough, the veteran pacer hurled two more deliveries after another half-hour hiatus but had to run back against boos from the crowd as the rain gods reappeared. India's KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant also joined them in the to-and-fro, with their reactions changing from frowns to rueful smiles.
While the 22 players and thousands of umbrella weilding spectators at Trent Bridge couldn't do much else, the myriad fans at home took to Twitter to vent their frustration. Their reactions, mostly rib-tickling memes, revolved around the pre-eminence of rain in English conditions and how there can be no worse curse on Test cricket.
Here are the best of the reactions:
Also read: From stadium roofs to 'Brumbrella,' can cricket solve its rain problem?
India-England Test evenely poised after rain interruptions
At the final break, India's innings stood at 125-4, 58 runs behind England's first-innings total. Rahul has been the pick of the Indian batsmen with his sound 151-ball 57. Wicketkeeper-batsman Pant is partnering him with a 8-ball 7.
The visitors will certainly be happier with the delays, considering how Anderson swung the momentum back into his team's favor with back-to-back wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli. The Indian skipper's dismissal - a rare golden duck - was an especially huge blow after the near-flawless opening stand between Rahul and Rohit Sharma.
Both Rahul and Pant were in a similar post-collapse situation in the last Test India played in England. Both batsmen scored tons in that game and resurrected their team's innings with a record 204-run stand. India will hope for something similar when the play resumes on Friday.