Hello and welcome to Sportstar's live coverage of the first T20I between India and Sri Lanka at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium, Barsapara on Sunday.
The time has run out and that match is officially called off . It's a shame for the supporters at the venue. They are partying as if Virat Kohli is delighting them to a boundary-filled knock. Questions will be posed to the groundstaff as to how the water seeped into the pitch. But credit to them in doing everything in their power to get the surface dry without much success. We will be back again on Tuesday for the second T20I from Indore.
The inspection is complete and the umpires go back into the dressing room to give their assessment to the captains. The ground staff continues to use rollers on the pitch.
UPDATE: The covers are off. The fans at the venue are in full voice. Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan are out in the middle to take a look at the pitch and so are the umpires for the scheduled inspection. 9.46 pm is the cut-off for a five-over match. The next inspection is set for 9.30 pm.
The groundsmen are using a blower to dry the wet patch. And as we see it, the covers are coming back on to the surface. Sigh, it's drizzling again.
TV images show that the water from the covers has seeped on to the pitch. There were a couple of dark patches on the track, too.
UPDATE: Some good news after that wait. Rain halts and the umpires will have an inspection at 8.15 pm local time before determining the start of play.
UPDATE: A dampener for the supporters at the venue as a slight drizzle turns into heavy showers to delay the start.
TOSS UPDATE: Kohli wins the toss, opts to bowl first.
How they have fared
India: WLWWW
Sri Lanka: LLLWW
Captains speak
Virat Kohli: "I believe it's going to be high-scoring. The pitch, the last time we played West Indies was really, really good to bat on. We expect the pitch to play really well. It is yet another opportunity to see which bowler reacts under pressure situations. If it's a batting-favourable pitch or bowler-friendly, the opposite skill will see interestingly how they step up."
Lasith Malinga: "Akila [Dananjaya]'s bowling action isn't great at the moment, and he might be cleared before the World Cup, but we don't know what's after that. Still we have young spinners and we need to give opportunities to them."
With 10 months to go for the ICC World T20, India and Sri Lanka will be eager for experiments and spot backups as they begin the New Year with the first of the three-match T20I series at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium, Barsapara, here on Sunday.
By resting opener Rohit Sharma and speedster Mohammed Shami, India has given others opportunities.
Jasprit Bumrah’s comeback is one of the major highlights of the series. The pace ace was out of action for four months due to a back injury. Here is Y.B. Sarangi's preview| Kohli, Malinga to start 2020 with an eye on World T20
The match will be streamed live on Hotstar.
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