Rishabh Pant, Jurel, Ashwin & Others Play Footvolley at Team Hotel as Rain Washes Away Day 2 of Kanpur Test: WATCH

Incessant rain and a wet outfield played spoilsport on Monday as the second day’s play of the India vs Bangladesh Kanpur Test was called off at Green Park. The covers never went off the field, forcing the players to return to their respective team hotels much before the match officials made the final decision to call the day off.

After reaching the team hotel, a few Team India players and support staff engaged in a footvolley session. Former wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik shared a video on his Instagram stories in which India batting coach Abhishek Nayar, wicketkeeper-batters Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel could be seen having a fun activity in the team hotel.

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 2:15 pm. 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.

India pacer Akash Deep accounted for Bangladeshi openers – Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam – while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin sent back rival skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto.

Concerns over India’s WTC final Qualification

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.

Should this Test ended 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.