Cricket: India forced to call off practice due to rain

Incessant rain forced India to call off practice two days ahead of the second One-Day International (ODI) cricket match against Australia at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday.

The Eden ground was covered from morning with the tourists rehearsing at the indoor facilities here.

The focus during the practice session was on playing spin as chinaman Kuldeep Yadav and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal accounted for five wickets together in the first rubber as the Aussies lost by 26 runs via Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method.

There are high chances of rain and thundershower in the next two days increasing the probability of another truncated affair. Australia could play just 21 overs in the first ODI chasing a revised score of 164. India posted 281/7.

India were earlier scheduled to practice in the afternoon.

The 22-yard Eden strip is likely to be a slow turned, East Zone curator Ashish Bhowmick had said on Monday. "The ball will come to bat slowly if this weather persists," he said.

--IANS

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