India vs Bangladesh Highlights 2nd Test Day 3, Weather Updates: Play called off due to wet outfield in Kanpur

The day three of the second Test between India and Bangladesh at the Green Park Stadium was abandoned on Sunday without a ball being bowled due to wet outfield.

Though it did not rain so far today, there were still some wet patches in the ground, including one near the bowler's run up area. The outfield could not be dried out despite the covers being peeled off.

Even the second day of action was abandoned due to rain.

If India does not get a win in this Test, it could make their journey towards a hat-trick of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final in the UK a little more tight, requiring them to beat New Zealand in three-match home Test series (from October 16 onwards) and Australia in five-Test series away from home (from November 22 onwards) by much bigger scorelines and margins.

With seven wins, two losses and a draw in 10 matches, India sits at the top of the ICC World Test Championship standings.

Two full days lost due to rain and wet outfield in Kanpur. Even though the next two day's weather forecast is good, any outcome other than a draw looks unlikely from here. There was no rain today, at least from 8:30 AM, and all the covers were off by 9:30 AM. However, the wet patches - one near the bowlers' run-up and a few others couldn't be dried out.

The wait to restart the second India-Bangladesh Test continued Sunday as the morning and afternoon sessions on day three were lost because of a wet outfield.

While there has been no rain since morning, the sodden outfield continued to pose safety risks for the players. Bowling areas on both sides of the pitch as well as the slip cordons and certain close-in and boundary fielding positions appeared a cause for concern for umpires Chris Brown (New Zealand) and Richard Kettleborough (England).

The Green Park stadium ground staff worked through the morning session to try and ready the the field for play later Sunday.

Bangladesh was 107-3 in its first innings, with all 35 overs bowled on a rain-truncated day one. Rain and a wet outfield had meant that day two had been abandoned without a ball bowled.

(Source - accuweather.com)

Each franchise to have purse of Rs 120 crore; Impact rule to stay

Ahead of the mega auction in Nov, the IPL governing council has decided that the 10 franchises can retain a maximum of six cricketers. Also, the Right to Match (RTM) card, which was done away with before the 2022 mega auction, has been brought back.

"It is at the discretion of the IPL franchise to choose their combination for retentions and RTMs. The six retentions/RTM's can have a maximum of 5 capped players (Indian and overseas) and a maximum of 2 uncapped players," the IPL said in statement announcing the big changes.

Interestingly, the IPL GC, which met here on Saturday, has also come up with a rider which is a 'pay more to retain more' formula, wherein the price for the fourth and fifth retentions come at a higher cost. With each team having an increased auction purse of Rs 120 crore each, there will be a reduction of Rs 18 crore, 14 crore and 11 crore respectively for the first three retentions.

(Source: accuweather.com)

"The ground's soggy. No sunlight for it to dry. Lots of soggy patches. Black soil surface - it has been under the hessian. It has underlying moisture. The Indian bowlers will enjoy bowling. It is a bit damp. There are patches where the bowlers will tempt the batters to play shots. Not easy to bat, especially in the first hour whenever the play starts." -- Murali Kartik and Athar Ali Khan.

(Source - accuweather.com)

Should this Test end in a draw, India will need to win five of their next eight Test matches to cement their place in the WTC final, assuming other contenders for a top-two finish do not drop points.

This leaves India with a more challenging route, as they will likely need to clean sweep New Zealand 3-0 at home and secure at least two wins in the five-match Border-Gavaskar series against Australia in Down Under.

As it stands, India lead the WTC standings with a percentage points (PCT) tally of 71.67 after 10 matches, putting them in a prime position to make their third consecutive final. A 2-0 series win over Bangladesh would have left India needing only three more wins from their remaining eight matches to secure a spot in the WTC final.

However, with rain looming large over the second Test, a draw could complicate India’s path to the final.

Rain and a wet outfield have played spoilsport in the second Test between India and Bangladesh at Green Park Stadium, with the weather threatening to derail India’s quest for a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Only 35 overs were bowled on Day 1 as Bangladesh struggled to 107/3, with Indian pacer Akash Deep impressing by picking up two crucial wickets. However, continuous drizzle on Day 2 has kept the covers on, and the day was washed out without a ball being bowled.

The weather forecast for 9 am in Kanpur is of 'Showers'. So, a timely start of the play looks unlikely at the moment.

Day Two of the second Test between India and Bangladesh was called off without a ball being bowled due to overnight and early morning rain.

The teams left the Green Park Stadium before the scheduled lunch time even though the rain stopped by 10.30 am.

The groundstaff didn't take off the covers for three hours because of the prevailing overcast conditions. The light seemed to have improved for a while but play was finally called off at 2 pm.

The three super soppers at the venue were at work for three hours to clear the water on the covers.

As per the weather forecast, the city is expected to receive rain even on Sunday but Monday and Tuesday are likely to be sunny and warm. In that scenario, the match seems to be headed for a draw.

Bangladesh had ended the rain-curtailed opening day at 107 for three as only 35 overs could be bowled.

The second day of the match was on Saturday called off without a ball being bowled due to persistent downpour. The drizzle in the morning turned into heavy rain, not letting the action begin on day two at Green Park Stadium.

The groundsmen put the three super soppers to work around 11:15 am after the rain stopped. The visibility was also poor.

As conditions did not improve, the second day's play was called off officially at 2:15pm.