Rain pushes India-Pakistan Super 4 match into reserve day

Rohith Sharma Pic by Kushan Pathiraja

By Shehan Daniel at the R. Premadasa Stadium

Heavy rain ensured that the ad hoc allocation of a reserve day for the Asia Cup Super 4 match between India and Pakistan turned out to be more than just a contingency plan.  
It took two spells of rain – the first shortly before 5 pm, which was hard enough to cause a delay of more than three and a half hours, and the second just when the match was slated to resume at around 9 pm – for match-officials to call off play yesterday, triggering the option of a reserve day and allowing the two teams to continue a full 50-over game today.
When rain halted play, India were 147 for 2 in 24.1 overs, propelled by half-centuries from their openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. 

India’s innings upto that point could essentially be broken into two parts – before and after the first drinks break, taken at the end of the 16th over.
Before the break, the Indian openers dominated, needing just 80 balls to reach the 100-run mark.

The pair scored 61 in the first 10 overs with the next six proving almost as profitable, yielding 57 runs. 

Both batsmen were dismissed after the drinks break however, ending a 121-run opening wicket partnership as the Pakistani bowlers tightened things up, with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul putting on an unbroken 24-run stand in 38 deliveries before rain pushed play into today.