Day 2 of the Test match between India and Bangladesh was rained out, and there will be plenty of fingers crossed as Day 3 hits on Friday.
The plan to play a Test match in Bangladesh in June – for the first time – is looking not that great at the moment, with rains lashing down in Fatullah to force the umpires to call off the second day of the Test match without a single ball being bowled.
That means Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay will start batting on 150 and 89 respectively, with India on 239/0 in 56 overs, and the interesting aspect, now of this Test match will be how Virat Kohli approaches the rest of the match.
India might even consider declaring overnight – unlikely, yes, but not impossible – to try and force a result. But, 239 is a really small total to do that, and the likelihood is that India will come down to bat on Day 3 and try and score as quickly as possible.
That is assuming play will be possible on Day 3, of course, with plenty of rain again forecast for Friday as well as Saturday and Sunday, which only goes to show how ridiculous planning a Test match in June is.
The only good thing about this rain on Thursday is that now the hand has been forced. If India want to go for a win in this Test match -- something Kohli has stressed he will always look to do – they need to attack, attack and attack.
Be that with the bat, first, or with the ball, once they declare their first innings. If another three days of play is possible, India do have the chance of forcing a result.
Bangladesh would have been the happier of the two teams at the washout, but they will also know it is another chance lost at testing themselves against the big boys. While their bowlers did not stand up to the test on Day 1, it would have been interesting to see if there would have been signs of bouncebackability on Thursday.
That chance was taken away, and wonder is all anyone can do now.
Rain, if it stays away, should give us some fascinating Test match action on Friday; just don't bet on the Rain Gods obliging, though.
Where to Watch Live
Get the Score Update and Report of Day 3 HERE
If play on Day 3 is possible, it will begin at 9.30 am local time (9 am IST, 4.30 am BST, 11.30 pm ET). The Test match will be shown live in India and the rest of the sub-continent on Star Sports1 and Star Sports3. Bangladesh vs India can also be watched live by viewers in Bangladesh on GTV. India vs Bangladesh online live streaming options are on Starsports.com and Hotstar.
Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can go flip their remotes to OSN Sports Cricket to watch the Test Live, while the live stream option is on OSN Play.
Audience watching India vs Bangladesh in the US can catch the action on Willow TV, while Day 3 can also be live streamed on Willow TV Online.
