A bizarre incident took place in Dharamsala on Sunday as haze stopped play between India and New Zealand during Match 21 of the ICC World Cup 2023.
Visibility became an issue for the players as a thick cover of fog covered the scenic stadium in the hills of Himachal Pradesh.
The umpires had to stop play for a few minutes before resuming with the action as conditions cleared with the temperature dropping to 15 degrees Celsius.
India were 84 for 2 in 14.2 overs when it suddenly became misty before things improved and play resumed for a short while.
Fog stops play
But the fog returned with vengeance a few moments later and the players had to walk off the field in the 16th over with India's score at 100 for 2.
Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer were in the middle when umpires asked the players to leave the field after a brief discussion.
Lockie Ferguson took the wickets of both openers in quick succession after Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill got India off to a flying start once again.
The Indian skipper fell 4 runs short of his half-century and got out for 46 while Gill went back for 26 before Kohli and Iyer joined the chase.
NZ Innings Summary:
Earlier, Daryl Mitchell hit a gutsy hundred before India pacer Mohammed Shami sizzled with a five-wicket haul in his first game of the World Cup to restrict New Zealand to 273 all out.
Sent into bat, Mitchell (130 off 127 balls) and Rachin Ravindra (75 off 87 balls) rescued New Zealand after a poor start, sharing 159 runs off 152 balls for the third wicket.
Shami (5/54) was the star with the ball for India while the other pacers, Jasprit Bumrah (1/45) and Mohammed Siraj (1/45), also played their part well.
Brief Scores: IND vs NZ, CWC 2023: New Zealand 273 All Out (50 Overs) In Dharamsala. Daryl Mitchell (130), Rachin Ravindra (75), Mohammed Shami (5/54).
