The first semi-final clash between India Legends and Australia Legends in the Road Safety World Series was interrupted by heavy rain. By the time play was halted on Wednesday at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, Australia Legends were at 136/5 after 17 overs. The match has been suspended and is set to resume on Thursday, September 29, with officials confirming that play will restart from the exact point it was stopped.
The rescheduled match is set for a 3:30 PM start. Consequently, the second semi-final, originally slated for Thursday, has been moved to Friday, September 30. To ensure the tournament concludes smoothly, the organizers have named October 2 as the reserve day for the Final match.
After winning the toss, India Legends' captain Sachin Tendulkar elected to field first. Australia Legends seized the initiative immediately, as opening batters Shane Watson and Alex Doolan built a powerful partnership exceeding 50 runs. They aggressively targeted the gaps during the powerplay, utilizing several fours and sixes to put India on the back foot. The breakthrough eventually came via Rahul Sharma, whose spin deceived Watson (30), resulting in a catch by Suresh Raina at cover.
Yusuf Pathan continued the collapse by outsmarting Doolan, who was stumped by Naman Ojha for 35. Pathan maintained the pressure by dismissing Callum Ferguson (10) in the very next over. Abhimanyu Mithun then chipped in by removing Nathan Reardon (5), leaving Australia Legends struggling at 128/4. However, Ben Dunk remained unfazed by the falling wickets, playing a daring knock. He kept the scoreboard ticking with four boundaries and two sixes, but his aggressive innings of 46 off 26 balls came to an end thanks to a brilliant piece of fielding by Raina at point.
Known as one of the greatest fielders in the game's history until his retirement last year, Raina proved he's still got it. In the 16th over, he leaped high to pluck a stunning catch out of the air, showing the same agility he was famous for. It happened during Abhimanyu Mithun's spell; Dunk attempted to smash a wide delivery toward point, but Raina was perfectly positioned to intercept it.
The wicket was a game-changer, as Dunk was threatening to take the game away from India. Just as the Indian bowlers were beginning to squeeze the Australian lower-middle order, the weather turned, and the umpires had to bring out the covers. Cameron White and Brad Haddin were the batters at the crease when play stopped, and they will resume their innings today.