MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli practice batting left-handed as match gets delayed

The Hyderabad T20I turned out to be a huge disappointment for the cricket fans, and more so for the crowd that had turned in strong numbers hoping to see India win the deciding game of the series and claim the number 1 spot in the T20 world rankings.

With the players waiting for the delayed toss and then the ground inspection, Kohli and company started playing football on the sidelines and then left-handed cricket. Those were the only moments that drew the largest cheers from the crowd.

Hyderabad had been receiving heavy rains for weeks and the Met office even predicted rain on Friday. Players and fans had kept their fingers crossed in the hope of some action, but the fact that it was the wet outfield that wore out the time instead of rain upset the crowds to no end.

The ground staffs had put up a huge amount of labour for hours as they attempted to mend the soggy patches of the outfield with heaps of sawdust and then pedestal fans, but it ended in futility. Officials of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) maintained that the field had been kept in cover fully and it was the ground slopes that led the moisture to slide off the square.   

The series ended as a draw with both the sides sharing points as Australia ended their India tour on a positive note, in an otherwise discouraging tour.

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