Asia Cup: Rain threat hangs over India-Pakistan clash on reserve day

Rain is expected to have a say again on Monday after forcing the organisers to activate the reserve day in the India-Pakistan Asia Cup Super Four clash at Colombo.

A match that began under bright sunshine had a gloomy end on Sunday with players running to the dressing room amid a heavy downpour.

An extra day was a last-minute addition to the Super Four clash -- the only game to get the advantage other than the final -- after a previous group meeting between the two teams was washed out due to rain in Pallekele.

Rain in Sri Lanka, who co-host the tournament alongside Pakistan, has put the organisers in a spin. The tournament is a precursor to the upcoming ODI World Cup.

After three inspections and fans helped to dry wet patches, the umpires looked like restarting play after over four hours of stoppage, but rain came to have the final say.

India will resume from 147-2 (24.1 overs) on Monday in the 50-over contest.

Virat Kohli, on eight, and KL Rahul, on 17, were batting when rain forced the players off.

But the forecast for Monday is not great either.

India, though, will be happy to end the day with just two wickets down.

Resuming the innings in overcast conditions against the formidable Pakistan pace attack could have been tricky for the Indian middle-order.

The conditions were hugely different when play began on Sunday, with skipper Rohit Sharma (56) and fellow opener Shubman Gill (58) giving India a blazing start in a stand of 121 off 100 balls to put Pakistan on the backfoot.

The batsmen took on the new-ball pair of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah with aerial shots in the powerplay when only two fielders are allowed outside the inner circle.

Both Shaheen and Naseem looked menacing in their first spell as the ball kept flying past the bat, and one edge from Gill went between two slips.

Rohit smashed leg-spinner Shadab Khan for two sixes and a four off successive balls in a 19-run over to raise the noise of the Indian fans at a largely empty stadium.

Shadab redeemed himself after the first drinks interval to send back Rohit caught out, and Shaheen returned to get Gill in the next over.

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