India's opening Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain and a wet cricket pitch in Guwahati on Sunday.
It started pouring 15 minutes before the scheduled time after India skipper won the toss and elected to bowl. The rain spell lasted less than an hour but the ground could not be prepared in time.
Meanwhile, spectators, in thousands, entertained themselves with a mass singalong while waiting for news of pitch inspections, before a final decision was announced shortly before 10 pm local time.
As the news of 'no match' arrived, celebrated cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle took to Twitter and wrote: "Hopefully this won't happen again."
Fans, reacting to his post, flooded the social media platform with angry reactions, with a common narrative -- the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the richest cricket board in the world -- losing the game to rain. Some even compensation for wasting their time.
Here are some reactions:
Jasprit Bumrah was set to return to action for India after recovering from a back injury, but his first appearance since September will have to wait.
Virat Kohli won the toss and chose to bowl, yet early evening rain meant there was no play possible, to the disappointment of a large crowd at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium.
The second game in the three-match series is scheduled for Tuesday at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
