So India's tour of New Zealand starts with a washout, with both teams eager to move on from their World Cup exits. But hopefully come Sunday - which is a sell-out in Mount Maunganui already - we can get play started. Until then, it is goodnight and goodbye from us!
8.52pm It's official: match called off. Constant rain doesn't allow even the toss to take place at the Sky Stadium in Wellington.
ShahSafeer: "Thumping ball on the ground to dry it up, oh @Himanshu you made me emotional about the fact that how Pakistan and India share a quite similar culture!" --- As Jarrod Kimber had written in 2015, the blue of India and the green of Pakistan are all about a cultural identity
Mick: "Good this game gets called it off.. there should be at least a week break after tournament... you don't want to overdo anything, even cricket. Breaks are important, that's why weekends also exist" --- Yeah, the good old days of a few three-day matches before a tour seem ages away, as the game gets increasingly commercialised
8.40pm It continues to rain - presumably - as we have no official update from the ground yet. Just about an hour to go before the game can be held even as a five-over shootout.
Rishi: "@Matt I grew up in some of the wettest places on earth, and we never minded playing on partially submerged pitches and grounds...it just adds some more nuances to the game" --- But growing up playing gully cricket, drying the ball by repeatedly thumping it on the ground barely hours after it had stopped raining was a big headache
Rho: "Speaking of cricketing memories from NZ, does anyone remember the format where there was 8 and 12 back in the 90s? What was that format called?" --- Cricket Max, the great Martin Crowe's brains
Matt: "I'm walking to the train station just outside the ground and there's some surface flooding around. Call it off, no hope of a game unless we invent submarine cricket" --- How lovely that would be. Probably some cricket in space after that?
Tim Southee on the action shifting quickly: "Just another opportunity against a quality opposition. It's an exciting Indian team, they have got so much talent. We have seen these guys in the IPL. Boult has been a massive part of the side for a long time. Guys just come in, and it's an opportunity for another guy... But yeah, it's is strange for one of our best players for a long time to not be here"
Toss delayed due to rain, the latest that play can begin tonight is 9.46pm local
8.15pm Hello again, everyone. It is still pounding in Wellington, with both hope and time quickly running out for the day. Anyway, I see a lot of chatter on that old issue of India in T20s, the role of specialists, etc. But all that aside, former Australia allrounder Shane Watson speak to ESPNcricinfo's Karthik Krishnaswamy on how he developed his T20 game while in his 30s.
Samrat Ahuja: "India needs T20 Specialists! Players , and (bracing myself for backlash) Coaches! " -- Interesting opinion. Don't really mind it. If we stick with recently retired Indians, who could be a great India T20 coach? Go on, tell us, as we make a change in comms. Here's Himanshu once again.
Nitin: "Everyone is commenting on brand of cricket England is playing these days. Remove Stokes from the lineup and results would have been different. Cricket remains a game of match winners. Aussies under Steve Waugh/ Ponting had the largest pool, a team probably ever had!!"
Manu Manoj: "Why should the toss be delayed as it can get done in indoors during rain? We can save some time to start the play.. Aren't we? " -- Excellent technical question. Playing conditions in international cricket say that captains *must have access to see the pitch*, or have access to it, before toss can take place. Currently under the covers.
7.45pm OK that was a fun session of reminiscing. Thanks all. Let's get back to 2022 and looking ahead instead. What is *one thing* that both India and NZ need to do better in T20Is? Just one. I'll start: India need one 'natural' dasher as opener. NZ need to give Bracewell more playing time. He has that #MakesThingsHappen vibe like Sam Curran. Now it's your turn.
Selvapandi: "There was a time when India had batters who could bowl and we used to have 7 to 8 options (Sachin , Sehwag , Sourav , Yuvi , Raina). We need that kind of team , and also the bowlers who could bat . "
Yaseen: "I am sorry interrupt the discussion about India's batting in T20I. I think India's batting is not a problem for them but it's bowling. India need to improve in their fast bowling department. India can't rely only on Bumrah and more over he should be preserved for Tests rather than T20Is."
Abhishek: "India should have a left right combo and the same cavalier attitude of England at the top . Pant / Kishan to open along with Rahul Tripathi And SKY at number 3 so we can look to post 70-80 odd in the power play itself " -- I like the way you think but that will need India to have so-so batters till No. 9 or No. 10. Otherwise it is a recipe for collapses unless SKY also reins himself in.
Jed: "As a Kiwi Can I be the first to say... drop Kane Williamson?" -- That's quite alright to say. In fact, many in India felt Kohli had to be dropped too, but we saw what he can do when the pressure is high recently. About Williamson, personally, I don't think he will need dropping. He will make room if he thinks he is bringing the team down (in my opinion). Eoin Morgan did that too when he retired in the middle of 2022.
Anand: "If there is one player who can bring the Sehwag-like fearfulness to the side, it is Prithvi Shaw. Unfortunately isn't in the side for no fault of his"
Ganesh: "India need multi skilled players in T20. Batsmen who can bowl, and bowlers who can bat." -- And quite shocking that India don't have enough of such players, considering how big our talent pool is!
Watch India tour of New Zealand LIVE on Prime Video from Nov 18 to 30
Navneet : "Any takers for Gambhir marathon to save the test match." -- Remember that game as a teenager, but at the time was more impressed with Laxman's century in that same innings. He scored 100 of his 124* runs in boundaries.
Siddhant: "Back in 2000, Indian batting used to struggle a lot in NZ. Out of all the collapsed, I remember one in 2003 when India were chasing 200 in an ODI Sehwag hit 112 runs, India were 182/3 and he got out as the 4th wicket. Indian team then collapsed to 198/9. Thanks to 2 extras and one single in the last over that India won by 1 wicket with 1 ball remaining. " -- Another classic.
Rohit: "Waking up at 3am with my grandfather in 1992 to watch Srikanth take Dipak Patel to the cleaners, only for Srikanth to hit the first ball he faced down throat of long-on."
Paul bartlett : "Talk about classic matches NZ v India 1976 at Eden Park and Ken Wadsworth last match before passing away at the age of 29. Great innings by him " -- Such a tragic loss for NZ cricket, Wadsworth's passing that early.
Speaking of classic NZ v India games in Wellington - who remembers this one-run win? I wasn't born then but remember people older than me raving about this game!
Preetam: "Favorite memory would be waking up early morning, being happy looking at NZ on 94/5, then realizing NZ is batting second and India already all out for 90." -- Oh, the trauma of these kinda mornings!
Lindsay : "Actually a dual rugby/cricket ground in NZ drains better than an all cricket ground. All-cricket grounds can't afford quality sand based fields - Basin Reserve, Hayley Oval for instance. Whereas dual code - Wellington Stadium and Eden Park, for example, can. It doesn't help whatever the ground if it won't stop raining however. "
7.16pm Hello everyone. Feeling particularly bad for cricket fans in New Zealand who thought they'd stay in on a friday night and watch the action. The rain is coming and going, but not going away for long enough to allow the field to dry. The two big issues currently are: 1) evening game, so no sun expected to dry the outfield, 2) this is a rugby ground too, so drainage is not as good as an 'all-cricket' ground. Anyway fear not, the conversations continue over here on ESPNcricinfo.... let's get the ball rolling... what is your favourite cricketing INDvNZ memory from New Zealand?
Mathew Barnett : "2008 test in Napier - seeing Taylor and Mccullum with centuries to support Jessie Ryder getting to 200… much might have ended in a draw but batting performances like that for the caps were few and far between. Also it was a glimpse at the generational (wasted) talent that was Jessie Ryder"
Nellai: "My favorite memory NZvsIND is 1994 when Sachin Tendulkar opened (82 off 49) for India in the absence of Sidhu, as they say, literally rest is history. "
soham: "Rohit Sharma hitting 2 consecutive sixes when 10 required off 2 in a super over, that tops my list."
7.12pm For what it's worth, it has started raining again, as the umbrellas go up. And with that, here comes Sreshth. Maybe he can have his prayers answered?
Pete: "Side I'd like to see for NZ at the 2024 T20 WC: Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Josh Clarkson, Cam Fletcher (wk), Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Henry Shipley, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears" --- So far, everyone other than Fletcher, Clarkson and Shipley have played for New Zealand. But with two years left, who knows... ?
But, but, but... the rain has stopped - at least for now. The Indian team practices on the ground, with a rugby ball in hand.
6.57pm The toss has officially been delayed, as heavy rain continues in Wellington.
Adam Milne: "Hopefully I'll get a few games against India... All the guys do specific stuff [during a rehab]. Tim [Southee] is probably the worst footballer in the team!"
Washington Sundar: "It was a weird accident that happened five or six years ago. I was playing football, and broke my ankle. I will never play football in my life! There are so many things to do other than just play football. I spent time at the NCA, as I worked on my shoulder after I injured it playing for Lancashire. I worked on my body and skills as well. Right now, I am very excited for this series. New Zealand is one of the most favourite countries for me... it's great to be here."
New Zealand have moved on from Guptill and Boult, and as they look to the future, captain Williamson wants Finn Allen to gain more experience.
Here's Shubman Gill, speaking ahead of what could be his potential T20I debut: "I came here for the first time when I played the U-19 World Cup. I made my debut [in ODIs] here in 2019. I have some really fond memories of New Zealand. I have been able to execute a few things I have been working on. I've always felt that hitting sixes isn't about power; it's about timing... it's all about where I am meeting the ball. It's more about you waiting for the ball rather than swinging for the ball."
6.45pm It continues to pour down rather steadily in Wellington, with a sparse crowd hoping and waiting for some play.
Issac: "This is a beginning of another new chapter in Indias T20 Journey. Here is my team for the 2024 T20 World cup. Ill be checking this comment in two years time again.Pant, Gill, Kohli, SKY, Hardik (c), Sanju, Jaddu, Bishnoi/Yuzi, Chahar, Arshdeep, Bumrah."
As much attention has India's style gained, the opposition captain Kane Williamson has found himself under the lens too. However, in an interview to ESPNcricinfo, he says he is keen to "continue playing all three formats".
6.40pm So what if rain has robbed us of the action? In a way, it has allowed us enough time to catch up with all that's happening around it. Before anything, how do India go about their T20 approach? Sambit Bal thinks they need a reboot, not a refresh.
Vikas Ranjan: "I live around 500mts away from Sky stadium and it's pouring at the moment, and it's Wellington rains, it won't stop all night, definitely a washout" --- Not the best of starts - both in terms of the weather, and the words...
However, it is raining in Wellington at the moment, with the clouds that burst in Australia flying across the Tasman already. But we'll keep the chatter around, as the weather Gods decide when cricket can be played.
6.30pm It is barely five days since the T20 World Cup is done, India have a second-string squad - yet again this year - and this is their third tour of New Zealand since early 2019. But none of that matters, as the cricket ball keeps rolling - from one series to another, from one country to another. Welcome to ESPNcricinfo's coverage of this tour, as the forward march to the next edition begins already.
