Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The fourth T20I between India and South Africa was abandoned at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on December 17 night due to excessive fog leading to poor visibility. Umpires Rohan Pandit and KN Ananthapadmanabhan delayed the toss and conducted multiple inspections, including one at 9:25 pm by looking at the floodlights from the batter’s crease, before calling off the game at 9:30 pm local time.
With no play possible in Lucknow, much to the dismay of a lot of enthusiastic fans at the stadium, India remain 2-1 ahead in the five-match series and cannot lose the trophy. The teams will now turn their attention to the fifth and final match scheduled to take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on December 19.
India vice-captain Shubman Gill will be eager to regain full fitness ahead of fifth match at the place where he has enjoyed prolific success with the bat, including his lone T20I century, and boasts a strong IPL record. But with the opener nursing a foot injury, it raises the likelihood of Sanju Samson featuring in the playing eleven.
The first indications of a possible abandonment of the first T20I to be held in Lucknow in December came when the toss, scheduled for 6:30 pm IST, was initially delayed to 6:50 pm. But with the fog not going away, further inspections were scheduled at 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:30 pm, and 9:00 pm. Amidst the inspections, Jasprit Bumrah’s participation in warm-ups provided reassurance after missing the third T20I in Dharamsala due to personal reasons. But with the fog not relenting, players from both sides indulged in warm-up routines but were eventually forced to go indoors, even as the ground staff used a light roller on the pitch.