Heavy rain cuts short first day of fourth Test

The rest of the play on the first day of the fourth and final Test between India and West Indies was called off on Thursday after heavy rain during the lunch washed out the rest of the game as the ground at Queen's Park Oval got water-logged.

As the rain started 15 minutes before the two-hour first session could end, with hosts at 62/2 in 22 overs and continued during the post-lunch session, the umpires N.J. Llong and R.J. Tucker inspected the outfield and called off the play due to the outfield being drenched in the downpour.

Overnight rain and showers earlier in the day delayed the start of the match by 30 minutes.

Unlike in the third Test at St Lucia, which India won by a huge 237-run margin on August 13, Windies skipper Jason Holder opted to bat first on winning the toss.

Opener Kraigg Brathwaite (32) and veteran batsman Marlon Samuels (4) were at the crease when rain interrupted the match ahead of lunch.

The hosts were off to a poor start, losing opener Leon Johnson (9) and one-down Darren Bravo (10) cheaply to seamer Ishant Sharma and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin respectively.

The visitors, eyeing to consolidate their numero uno status in Test cricket, went in with a different strategy in the match with skipper Virat Kohli preferring an additional batsman in contrast to his usual six batsman-five bowlers theory.

Unfazed with the new combination, pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami gave India a good start from which first change Sharma and Ashwin benefited by taking the wickets of Johnson and Bravo respectively.

With the rains refusing to stay away, the umpires called of the game for the day.

India lead the four-match series 2-0, after the second Test at St. Kitts ended in a draw.

The hosts have made one change bringing in leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo in place of young pacer Alzarri Joseph while Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara made it to the playing XI for India replacing Shikhar Dhawan and Ravindra Jadeja.

Brief Scores: West Indies 62/2 (Kraigg Brathwaite 32 not out, Darren Bravo 10, Marlon Samuels 4 not out, Ishant Sharma 1/7, Ravichandran Ashwin 1/22) vs India.

--IANS

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