The opening T20I match of the three-match series between India and Sri Lanka didn’t get off to a perfect start at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium as rain gods played spoilsport to enforce a delayed start of the match. While the ground staff worked extremely hard to make the ground dry to help in a quick start, the capacity crowd in Guwahati made sure it made a stunning environment in the stadium by singing the national song of India – ‘Vande Mataram’ – in complete synchronization.
The fans took to their mobile phones to turn on the flashlights to make the environment even more compelling and sung ‘Vande Mataram’ in full voice. The official handle of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took to social media platform to share a video from the ground as they captioned it: “Guwahati, you beauty #INDvSL”
Meanwhile, before the start of the match, Indian skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to field first as he cited the dew factor behind his reason to bat second. Kohli said the Guwahati track plays a bit different in second innings and it would easier to chase down the total after the pitch settles down in the first innings.
“We’re gonna bowl first. We haven’t played here in a while. The last time we played here, we chased well. The game we played prior to that against Australia, they chased well too. The track does play differently in the second half as compared to the first part. It’s a good thing actually, there isn’t too much of a difference in conditions, except that the track settles down better later on with the wet ball,” Kohli said after the coin flip.
“Last year was outstanding for us in two formats, T20s not so much. Good thing though is that we have a World Cup coming up and we’ll be taking things more seriously. Pandey, Samson, Chahal and Jadeja aren’t playing. Kuldeep and Washington because of their left-handers and we have three seamers,” the Indian skipper added.