IND vs NZ Test will have different rules when play starts in Bengaluru: Details

The weather forecast for Thursday in Bengaluru isn’t that great as there is more than a 30% chance of rain and it increases further in the latter half of the day, but it is not as bad as Wednesday. Continuous rain and dark clouds washed out Day 1 of India vs New Zealand’s first Test. So steady was the drizzle right throughout the day that even the outstanding drainage system of the Chinnaswamy Stadium was not enough to get play started. It was called around 2:30 pm in the afternoon. This happened an hour after there was a solid hope of getting action when the rain stopped for about 40 minutes between 1-2 pm. But that vanished soon, as the rain returned after 2 pm.
This was the first time in 11 years that Day 1 of a Test match in India involving the hosts was washed out without a ball being bowled. The last time it happened was in 2013 in Mohali during an India vs Australia Test match.
The Day 1 washout has practically reduced the India vs New Zealand first Test to a four-day affair. The toss took place at 8:45 am on Thursday. The scheduled start of play was at 9:15 am.
When play starts in Bengaluru, it will be played under different conditions than a normal five-day Test match. As per the MCC laws of the game, if the first day of a Test match is washed out without a ball being bowled, then it is considered a reduced Test match, and for that, the playing conditions change slightly.
With early starts and different session timings, an attempt to bowl a maximum of 98 overs per day for the remaining days of the Test match is taken. However, significant change takes place regarding the follow-on rule.
“If no play takes place on the first day of a match of more than one day’s duration, 14.1 shall apply in accordance with the number of days remaining from the start of play. The day on which play first commences shall count as a whole day for this purpose, irrespective of the time at which play starts,” says the MCC Law 14.3.
“14.1.1 In a two-innings match of 5 days or more, the side which bats first and leads by at least 200 runs shall have the option of requiring the other side to follow their innings.
“14.1.2 The same option shall be available in two-innings matches of shorter duration with the minimum leads as follows:
– 150 runs in a match of 3 or 4 days;
– 100 runs in a 2-day match;
– 75 runs in a 1-day match.”
To explain it in simple words, if play starts anytime on Thursday or Friday in Bengaluru, the follow-on can be imposed with a first innings lead of 150 instead of 200. If it becomes a two-day Test match, the follow-on is reduced further to 100 in case of a two-day Test and it is 75 in case of a one-day Test.