Rain washes out second day of Bangalore test

BANGALORE (Reuters) – Steady rain washed out the entire second day’s play in the second test between India and South Africa on Sunday with the weather forecast for the next two days casting a cloud of doubt over the possibility of a result.

Having bowled out South Africa for 214 and knocking off 80 runs without losing any wicket on Saturday, the hosts were keen on putting up a big first innings total but the inclement weather played spoilsport.

After the early morning showers relented, start was pushed back by an hour to 10:30 local time (0500 GMT) and the players walked out to warm up for action.

The rain, however, returned soon resulting first in an early lunch before play was called off for the day.

“If weather permits, tomorrow the play will start at 9:15 (3:15 GMT),” the Indian cricket board posted on Twitter.

More rain and thunderstorms have been predicted for the next two days, jeopardising the possibility of a result in the contest.

While this is surely not how South African talisman AB de Villiers expected his 100th test to pan out, the Proteas are unlikely to mind the rain intervention.

Beaten inside three days in the first test on a turning track in Mohali, the visitors still seem in a spin funk with eight of their batsmen surrendering to the Indian spinners in their first innings at Bangalore.

Currently the top ranked test team, South Africa have not lost an away series since 2006 but Hashim Amla’s team find themselves on the back foot in the four-test series in India.

Apart from the batsmen’s vulnerability against spin, the absence of injured pacemen Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander has also taken much of the sting off their pace attack.

(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Patrick Johnston)