[Watch] Spidercam malfunction forces early tea, Virat Kohli and Co. have fun in second India vs New Zealand Test
As the world braces for the release of new Spiderman movies, one 'spidercam' disrupted play in the ongoing India-New Zealand Test in Mumbai.
A few overs before the tea break at Wankhade Stadium, the cable-suspended camera system malfunctioned. It dropped down and was hanging a couple of feet above the ground, just beside the pitch. The control room failed to get it back up which forced on-field umpires Nitin Menon and Anil Chaudhary to call for an early break.
New Zealand batters Daryl Mitchell and Will Young, struggling against the Indian spinners, happily accepted the break. Indian players on the field, including Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin, among others, decided to have some fun with the spidercam. It made for some hilarious close-up shots. The skipper was even seen asking the camera to go up, which it couldn't.
Below are some videos and photos from the moment:
#INDvsNZTestSeries @imVkohli Bhaiya #SpiderCam ko bolte huye ke janab tahan ground mein kya kar rahe ho Uper jaao馃槀馃槀mast ek dum https://t.co/Fo1et3S23z
spider cam got struck......umpires given tea #INDvNZ https://t.co/yF9fA9XHN3
#IndvNZ #MumbaiTest
When the Spidercam stopped play. https://t.co/toZ8MPKzQN
Virat Kohli saying Spidercam to go up. https://t.co/M9EnD3wP7e
fun with Spider Cam 馃槅 https://t.co/5EDnfFp9dG
spidercam stops play https://t.co/i0d8kdZZF9
Virat Kohli's futile attempt was a testimony to his players' domination in the session, making them reluctant to go back to the dugout. India not only set a mammoth and near-impossible target of 540 for the visitors but also sent back opposition captain Tom Latham for a 15-ball 6.
India look to finish things in 40 overs after spidercam drama
The spidercam drama left just over 41 overs from the day's play in Mumbai. India took 28.1 overs to dismiss New Zealand for a record-low 62 in their first innings. With the pitch offering a slower turn but substantial bounce, the trio of Ashwin, Axar Patel and Jayant Yadav will fancy their chances of finishing the match today.
For New Zealand, the onus will lie on seniors like Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls to delay the inevitable.