When was the last time an India Test's entire day’s play was washed out before IND vs BAN 2024 2nd Test?
An entire day's play being washed in a Test is as rare as it's bad for the format's health. But, as has been the late monsoon fever in North India we have seen two big matches -- the only Test between New Zealand and Afghanistan and Day 2 of India's second Test against Bangladesh -- suffer the fate.
It's also the fault of the authorities allotting games to the stadiums in Greater Noida and Kanpur respectively. Poor drainage systems and sopping facilities have also taken out large shares of time from the Test even when it's not raining.
The scenes in the Kanpur Test on Saturday were telling: Indian players returned to their hotel after seeing only a first couple of hours of rain, perhaps knowing that the ground wouldn't be able to recover from it in time even if the rain relented.
It might come as a wake-up call for the authorities because this was the first time since 2015 that an entire day of a Test involving India was washed out. The last time it happened was in Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium in 2015 when India played South Africa in the second of the four-Test home series.
That day, too, started with overcast skies. Rain came on just before the start of the day's play, delaying the start. It stopped a couple of times, giving the audience some hope with new session times being broadcasted but got heavier eventually, forcing the game to be called off in the afternoon.
"Those who purchased the tickets for Day-2 of Bangalore Test, will get refunds at the KSCA ticket counters on Nov 20, 21 & 22," the BCCI had tweeted on the day.
On the first day, India had bowled South Africa out for 214 and Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay had raced to 80/0 till Stumps. But after the second day, the next three days were also washed out and the game had to be abandoned.
How's the weather for Day 3 of the second India-Bangladesh Test?
Thankfully for fans of both teams, the reported weather forecast is better for the third day. Showers are only predicted for the morning around the first session timings. If the ground staff manages to dry out the outfield before the second and third sessions, we should at least get some cricket.