Rain, damp pitch abandons T20 opener in Guwahati

It was a wet start to the T20 format in the year 2020 as the first Twenty20 International between India and Sri Lanka, in Guwahati was called off due to a damp pitch.

A strong crowd braving the rain, cold and harsh weather had turned up in Guwahati only to be dismayed. It rained for about an hour and half and while the skies did clear up at around 08:00 pm IST, there was some water from the covers that slid onto the playing surface. That, eventually proved too much for the ground staff to dry. 

After multiple inspections, hair dryer, vaccuum cleaner, iron being used, the damp patch refused to budge and the game had to be called off. It was indeed heartbreaking for the 50,000-odd spectators who had come to watch the match but there was little that could be done. 

The toss though did happen on time which was won by Indian captain Virat Kohli who chose to field first. The big news was that ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah was back in the mix after four months recovering from a back injury. Shikhar Dhawan also was brought back into the side. While Bumrah predictably has more eyeballs on him, the series is also important for Dhawan, making a comeback into the team post knee injury. Dhawan is coming off a century in Ranji Trophy for Delhi.

During the rain interval, Dhawan insisted how he was taking this series as an opportunity to develop his game. 

"I always take things in a positive manner," he said to host broadcaster Star Sports. "Injuries are natural, I just take them in my stride. I am looking forward to score lots of runs this year, be a more impactful player, win matches for my team and hopefully help them win the World Cup."

He will partner KL Rahul at the top of the order with Rohit Sharma rested for the series. The others in the playing eleven were on expected terms. Yuzvendra Chahal, Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson and Ravindra Jadeja missed out. 

For Sri Lanka, Lasith Malinga was more than happy to bat first insisting that he did not expect the track to change too much. Niroshan Dickwella, Kasun Rajitha, Lakshan Sandakan and Kusal Mendis missed out. 

However, as it turned out, it amounted to almost nothing in the end. The second T20I will be held at Holkar Stadium, in Indore on Tuesday (January 7). The forecast for the day is clear and we should expect a full game at our disposal.