Is that out? New Zealand do not look overly excited. The third umpire is called into action to check for a bump ball.

All in readiness for the action to commence. Tom Latham leads his troops out to the centre. 52 overs are remaining in the day, and whether we will manage to get through all of them remains to be seen. New Zealand are starting with spin in the form of Rachin Ravindra. Rachin to Rishabh Pant first up. A slip in place. Let's play...

UPDATE - 8.06 am GMT - Right then, we have a restart time. Play to restart at 8.20 am GMT. The second session will go on until 10 am GMT. The third and final session of the day will kick off at 10.20 am GMT and will continue until 11.45 am GMT. There is an option to extend play by 30 minutes, weather and light permitting. Abhinav Mukund informs us that 24 overs have been lost due to rain. Saba Karim reports that the weather forecast for the rest of the day suggests cloudy skies but no rain. Let’s hope that holds true for what promises to be two exciting sessions of cricket ahead!

UPDATE - 7.48 am GMT - Great signs! The rain has eased, and the ground staff are hard at work, clearing water puddles off the covers. The match officials have also come out to inspect the ground. Meanwhile, the covers on the outfield are already being pulled back, signalling that we’re inching closer to a restart. The stumps have been erected and it has brightened up a fair bit. We should have an official update regarding resumption soon. Stick around.

UPDATE - 7.30 am GMT - The drizzle continues to persist, with the fourth umpire spotted earlier with his umbrella. While it's more of a mizzle, it’s enough to keep the covers firmly in place and prevent the ground staff from starting their preparations. The wait goes on as we hope for conditions to improve!

While we wait for the rain to relent, let's look at what's coming up this weekend from a cricketing perspective. On Sunday, October 20th, we will witness a new champion being crowned at the final of the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup. Laura Wolvaardt's South Africa will take on the Sophie Devine-led New Zealand in a battle for ultimate glory under the lights at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

UPDATE - 6.56 am GMT - Unfortunately, the rain continues, and there are no further updates at the moment. However, the drainage at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is among the best, so once the rain subsides, it shouldn’t take long to get the field back ready. Let’s stay optimistic that the skies will clear soon and we’ll have the players back in action. Fingers crossed for a quick turnaround!

UPDATE - 6.30 am GMT - Great news! The rain has eased, and we now see the match officials along with some team management staff inspecting the outfield. Scratch that, the rain has picked up in intensity and we are in for a longer delay than we initially hoped. Anil Kumble, who is from Bengaluru, informs on air that it's not a good sign when the rain comes from the far end of the pavilion, and unfortunately, that’s the case today. We'll keep you posted on further developments.

... DAY 4, SESSION 2 ...

New Zealand, however, remain just a couple of quick wickets away from deflating India's spirits. With the second new ball only 9 overs away, the Kiwi pacers will be eager to take advantage of the added moisture on the pitch and strike early if and when play resumes after Lunch. For India, it will be crucial not to look too far ahead. Sarfaraz and Pant will need to exercise caution in the early part of the session before settling in again. We will be back in 40 minutes for the start of the second session, weather permitting. Cheers!

New Zealand, on the other hand, have struggled to apply any real pressure, with only 2 out of the 22 overs this morning being maidens. This highlights their inability to contain the Indian batters, though, to be fair, the surface has offered them little assistance. The cracks in the pitch, which were expected to trouble the batters, haven't played as much of a factor, barring a few deliveries that misbehaved early on but other than that, Sarfaraz and Pant remained untroubled. The closest New Zealand came to breaking this partnership was a missed run-out opportunity when Pant was on 6, a chance that could come back to haunt them.

Well, that was an eventful session, and it firmly belonged to India. Trailing by 125 runs at the start of the day, India would have hoped to avoid losing a wicket in the morning session, and they have achieved just that. The hosts put on 113 runs in the 22 overs bowled during the session, scoring at an impressive rate of 5.13 runs per over. Sarfaraz Khan resumed from where he left off, putting on a masterclass of late cuts and finding boundaries at will on his way to a maiden Test century. Rishabh Pant started cautiously but soon began taking on the spinners to steadily chip away at the deficit.

UPDATE - 5.49 am GMT - As the rain continues to pour down in Bengaluru, the match officials have decided to take LUNCH early. Saba Karim, reporting from the venue, is seen holding an umbrella and informs that the rain has intensified.

UPDATE - 5.31 am GMT - Uh oh! A bit of drizzle in the air. It has picked up and the players are going off. New Zealand won't mind this one bit. This break gives them a chance to reflect and regroup. The playing surface and the square have been covered. It does look ominous with dark clouds looming. Let's hope that this is just a brief break in play.