The focus of attention was on the two seasoned cricketers from India, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The cheering audience shouted out the names of their preferred players. Supporters strained their eyes towards the dressing room as the rain fell harder, hoping to catch a glimpse of the legends of cricket. Their love for the sport and respect for Kohli and Sharma were both obvious. The stadium seemed to shake in anticipation.

Watch the video here:

The rain doesn’t seem to be dampening spirits of fans who need a glimpse/Darshan of their heroes. Rain/Leaking roofs. Video from a friend (Rondeep) in Barsapura #WorldCup2023 #ICCWorldCup2023 #Guwahati pic.twitter.com/z0Y1JZCg7Z
— Kartik Kannan (@kartik_kannan) September 30, 2023

The ICC Cricket World Cup warm-up match between India and England was abandoned after persistent rain put paid to hopes of a tune-up for either team ahead of the 50-over showpiece from October 5.

The match was to be hosted at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati on Saturday. Persistent rain did not allow a single ball to be bowled in India’s first practice match.

Earlier, India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first against the fifth-rankers in ODI cricket. India went into the game on the back of a 2-1 win over Australia in the recent ODI series. England came into the practice match after a thumping series win over New Zealand.

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami. 

England(Playing XI): Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(w/c), Liam Livingstone, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Gus Atkinson, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.

India will next play a warm-up match against the Netherlands at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.