The skies leaked, so did the pitch cover. The result: an abandoned match.
The first game of the three-match T20I series between India and Sri Lanka was washed out without a ball being bowled. The toss was done though, and India had won it and elected to field first.
It was a strange night at the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Stadium in Barsapara, a night where the super soppers, and not Virat Kohli or Lasith Malinga, got the loudest cheers from the fans. The super soppers did their job well after a couple of spells of sharp showers, but a damp patch on the pitch spoiled the night.
The covers were pulled off the ground at 7.50pm. The outfield looked okay after sometime, but the damp patch on the pitch, a possible result of seepage through the covers, remained. The groundsmen brought out everything that they could get hold off — vacuum cleaners, hair dryers and electric irons — but the wet patch refused to dry up.
After further inspections of the wicket by the umpires at 9pm, 9.30pm and 9.46pm, the game was finally called off at around 10pm.
Asked about the wet spot on wicket, Devajit Saikia, the ACA secretary, said: “I have no idea because I have not spoken to the curator or the groundsmen. Once I speak to them, I will know if there were any lapses. I have seen personally there were heavy showers till 9.15 pm.” The rain, though, had stopped by 7.45pm.
For the 25,000-strong crowd, which included Assam governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb, it was an utter disappointment.
