Rain forces match to be called off

The umpires made a ritual inspection of the ground in the morning and waited for an hour and a half before taking a decision on whether the match could be played at the Esplanade Stadium.

With puddles dotting the flooded outfield and the pitch wet beyond redemption, they called off the encounter as even a 25-overs-a-side game was not deemed possible.

India and Sri Lanka were awarded one point each, which took the former8217;s tally to four, while the hosts have three. New Zealand, the third team in the fray,have just one point 8212; earned from their washed out match against India at Colombo on June 23.

But a slender one-point lead was of little consolation for India as the wet weather came as a spoiler to dampen their attempts to win a comprehensive victory against the Sri Lankans on their home soil.