The first Twenty20 International between hosts South Africa and India has been washed out by rain in Durban, with no play possible yesterday in the first game of the three-match series.
The match was scheduled to start at 1400 GMT but the toss was delayed indefinitely and the umpires eventually decided there was no prospect of play in the sodden coastal city.
The match was to be the first on India’s all-format tour to South Africa, with further T20 matches to come in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) tomorrow and Johannesburg on Thursday.
They will then switch format for three One Day Internationals between Dec. 17-21, while the first test will start on Dec. 26 in Pretoria, with the second on Jan. 3 at Newlands in Cape Town.
Both teams will be without key players for the white-ball games, ahead of two World Test Championship matches later in the tour.
South Africa’s one-day and Test captain Temba Bavuma and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada will miss all the limited overs matches.
Fast bowlers Gerald Coetzee, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi will play only in the first two T20 internationals before returning to their franchises to play in domestic four-day cricket ahead of the Tests.
Regular Indian captain Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli will also miss the limited overs games, while recent T20 captain Hardik Pandya is injured.
Suryakumar Yadav, fresh from leading India to a 4-1 T20 home series win against Australia, is the captain of the T20 side while KL Rahul will be in charge for the one-day matches.
With the T20 World Cup due to be played in the West Indies and United States in June, the three-match T20 series provides an opportunity for fringe players to press their claims.
Remaining fixtures:Dec 12, 2nd T20I, Gqeberha
Dec 14, 3rd T20I, Johannesburg
Dec 17, 1st ODI, Johannesburg
Dec 19, 2nd ODI, Gqeberha
Dec 21, 3rd ODI, Paarl