Asia Cup 2023: India versus Pakistan: Rain halts play when 'Men in Green' were trying to make comeback after India's aggressive start

Rain halted play during the Indian innings in the 25th over, with former skipper Virat Kohli and KL Rahul at the crease during the India versus Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 match. Writes ETV Bharat's Meenakshi Rao

Colombo (Sri Lanka): Rain! Colombo, too, is getting drenched, the same way as the league match at the Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy, of the two biggest rivals of the subcontinent got washed out with all the excitement getting absorbed by the motley super soppers the island nation has.

The rain break in the Super Four match came in the 25th over and at a juncture when Pakistan were just about ploughing their way back into the match, with India preparing to doggedly counter the re-knitted cordon of a fearsome bowling department.

Rain in Lanka is like cocoa in a chocolate factory. Omnipresent. So holding any outdoor tournament comes with the knowledge of a 90 per cent chance of a cloud spoiler, and the Asia Cup can be no exception. Much of the empty stadiums that have stared down the live screens in the global cricket living rooms have been triggered by washout fears at a time when the Sri Lankan populace, whether of Indian or Pakistani origin, is battling a killer economic crisis in its tail-end. No one wants to buy tickets of any kind other than food and sustenance for now.

Though the Pallekele game had to be abandoned after India was largely tamed by the Pakistani bowling quartet, for Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium, it had been contentiously decided by the organisers at a last-minute meeting that this India-Pakistan Super Four match would be given a reserve day, a measure accorded to no other team.

So, there is still hope that the match will reach its conclusion the next day, but rain disruptions come with the potential to change course for either team as the steam gets dissipated due to a timelapse and change of playing conditions.

So, what’s the rain prediction for tomorrow, Day 2 of the match? Thunderstorms and showers are expected round the day and well into the night with 90 per cent precipitation and 83 per cent humidity making rain an undoubtful eventuality. As for today, as per a BBC weather report, there is 40 per cent to 59 per cent rain between 3 pm and 9 pm. So, expect a delay with hope and a turnover to Day 2 at worst.