M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. (Photo Source: Twitter/X)
The first Test between India and New Zealand in Bengaluru has reached the crucial stage with New Zealand needing just 107 runs to register a Test win in India after 36 years. On Day 4 of the Test, India put up a fight as Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant pulled the team out of troubled waters scoring 150 and 99 runs, respectively.
In the second half of the final session, India were braced to defend the total but bad light intervened. Rohit Sharma and Co. were seen chatting with umpires but the talks were followed by heavy rain. As a result, Day 4 ended prematurely and New Zealand have three sessions to reach the target and India have just 107 runs to defend and stage an ultimate comeback.
But the Bengaluru weather is speaking a different language. According to AccuWeather, October 20, Sunday, Day 5 of the Test will have “thunderstorms in the area late Saturday night through Sunday evening”. Moreover, The Indian Met Department forecasts Bengaluru will have a “generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers” on Sunday.
NZ will play only 30 overs tmrw , rest will be played by ☔️ Rain
ICT – prepare yourself #INDvsNZ #KLRahul #WTC25 #Rohit #Kohli pic.twitter.com/Fip91A5FK2
— Maiden Century 🌺&🐝 (@gajendra87pal) October 19, 2024
Day 1 of first Test was washed out by heavy rains
Notably, the first day of the Test was washed out due to incessant rains. However, the positive thing about the renowned M Chinnaswamy Stadium has a world-class drainage facility with an integrated subsurface aeration system. This will allow the play to resume within minutes after every rain spell.
Also Watch: Rohit, Kohli engage in animated discussion with Umpires over bad light
Speaking of the dominance of the home team, Team India have just lost one Test in 2024 and they are well on their way to featuring in the World Test Championship (WTC) final for the third consecutive time.