Rain plays spoilsport on first day of tour game

Day 1 close Board President's XI 23 for 0 (Chopra 9*, Sehwag 9*)
Scorecard

The covers being removed from the pitch at Visakhapatnam. Only 45 minutes play was possible on the first day © AFP

Only ten overs of play was possible on a severely truncated first day at Visakhapatnam, as New Zealand's tour to India got off to a wet and gloomy start. Heavy rains over the last couple of days left the outfield too damp for play to start until after tea, and when the match did finally get underway at 3pm local time, the Board President's XI could only bat for around 45 minutes before a sharp downpour sent the players scurrying back to the pavilion.

In the brief passage of play which did happen, Virender Sehwag - opting to open the innings to get some practice at the top of the order before the Test series - and Akash Chopra put together 23 runs after Sehwag had elected to bat. Both openers were largely untroubled by New Zealand's new-ball attack of Ian Butler and Michael Mason.

Sehwag got off the mark in style, punching the first ball he faced, from Mason, down the ground for four. In Mason's next over, Sehwag played a flashing cut over gully for four. Chopra was more circumspect, his only boundary coming off an outside edge which went along the ground and through the slip cordon. Apart from that stroke, Chopra was in control, playing close to his body and eschewing any risks.

The Board President's line-up excluded Wasim Jaffer, Amit Uniyal and Tinu Yohannan, while New Zealand left out Jacob Oram and Daryl Tuffey. Both Oram and Tuffey are likely to play in the Tests, and their omissions from this match were probably precautionary measures to ensure against injury on a ground where the run-up areas were still slightly damp.

The match has now effectively been reduced to a two-day encounter, and with more rain forecast over the weekend, New Zealand might only be left with one warm-up game before the first Test. Both captains have, however, agreed to start 30 minutes earlier on the two remaining days to squeeze in as much play as possible. Whether the weather actually allows them to is another matter.