Bengaluru: The weather has been bad when it comes to testing in India. Incessant drizzle in Bengaluru scuppered the chances of action on the first day of the India-New Zealand Test on Wednesday. The game was abandoned at around 2:30 p.m., although there would have been two scheduled play sessions had it not been for the rain.

It wasn’t just the rain in Kanpur, where more than two-and-a-half days of play were ruled out for the India-Bangladesh Test last month. It was more due to the poor drainage systems in the Green Park Stadium. To India’s credit, Rohit Sharma’s men were so good that two days were enough to successfully secure a win.

Why only Indian cricket, rain wasn’t particularly pleasant for New Zealand cricket in India either. In early September, the one-off Test between New Zealand and Afghanistan in Noida had to be abandoned without a ball being bowled – only the eighth such incident in the history of the Test. Unusual rains, yes. But here too, the grounds of the Greater Noida Sports Complex were so unsuitable for international cricket that wet patches on the outfield prevented play even on sunny days.

This does not apply to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the SubAir drainage system sucked in water even when it drizzled. In the afternoon, Virat Kohli turned up to bring some joy to the sparse crowd here, only to be told that he was on his way to the National Cricket Academy’s indoor facilities to score a hit. He was followed by Yashasvi Jaiswal, accompanied by assistant coach Abhishek Nayar and the throwing specialists. Batters like to stay in batting rhythm as much as possible.

Although the rain never increased in intensity, the pelting rain was persistent. There was a glimmer of hope at around 1.45pm as attempts were made to remove the covers until another shower of rain became the spoiler.

Any further chances of starting the game were dashed when it was announced that Hawk-Eye calibration (ball trajectory aid for the Decision Review System) was not possible due to rain that morning or the day before. The process would have taken an hour and a half. This exercise was conducted after the game was abandoned. After a heavy downpour, the rain stopped and the covers were lifted. Rohit came in to check the humidity on the pitch. By then, even the few believers who showed up despite the weather had gone home.

Many of them will return on Thursday, although the forecast is equally grim. They will try to make up for the lost 90 overs by adding 15 minutes of extra overs in each of the first two sessions over the next four days. On the second day there will be a throw at 8:45 a.m., weather permitting.