Overnight thunderstorms and incessant rain washed out the third day's play without a ball being bowled in the third cricket Test between West Indies and India here today.
At the Darren Sammy Stadium, the two teams hadn't arrived at the ground even as the clock ticked past the lunch mark at noon.
Thanks to the stormy weather, the whole outfield was rendered completely soggy even as the lone Super Sopper was hard at work. Numerous muddy patches all along the boundary ropes deemed the field unfit for any play while rain stopped for just past 10 am local time.
However, it picked up once again as the umpires inspected the conditions.
Later, Indian coach Anil Kumble and the support staff arrived to assess the situation. The West Indies team also turned out, and afterwards the second inspection was held at 2 pm local time (11.30 pm IST).
Given the rain hadn't stopped and the field was in a poor state, day three was deemed a total washout.
If the weather relents tomorrow, play will begin half an hour early at 9.30 am local time (7 pm IST) with 98 overs to be bowled. It leaves only two days for the match and a result is now looking increasingly unlikely.
On day one, West Indies won the toss and elected to field.
India were reduced to 130/5 at one stage, after which R Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha rescued the innings with an unbeaten century stand.
On day two, the duo completed their respective hundreds -- a fourth Test ton for Ashwin and a maiden Test century for Saha -- en route to their 213-run stand for the 6th wicket to take India to 353 runs in their first innings.
Afterwards, West Indies had reached 107/1 at close of play, with Kraigg Brathwaite unbeaten on 53 runs.
India lead the four-match series 1-0, after winning the first Test in Antigua by an innings and 92 runs. The second Test in Jamaica was drawn.
(REOPENS DEL 56)
Both Vijay and Pujara had their moments of luck.
A dropped catch off Stuart Broad reprieved Vijay on 66 and the Decision Review System -- being used in a Test series in India for the first time -- came to Pujara's help when he was 14 short of his hundred.
The duo came together early in the morning after the fall of Gautam Gambhir in the second over and batted out the first two sessions before Pujara fell in the last.
Pujara's attacking instincts helped India add 99 runs in the first session in 30 overs, before some tight bowling by England restricted the scoring. The hosts eventually put on just 66 runs in 29 overs in the middle session to tea.
Pujara was out in the post-tea session, slashing at a wide ball from Ben Stokes and was caught by visiting team captain Alastair Cook much to his own and his home crowd's disappointment. It was also the breakthrough England desperately needed.
It was the 28-year-old Rajkot born player's third hundred against the visitors, and his seventh on home soil. He had scored 206 not out and 135 against the same opponents on their visit to India four years ago.
His away hundreds had been scored in Johannesburg in South Africa and in Colombo against Sri Lanka.
The beautifully crafted innings saw Pujara play some superb drives, cuts and flicks during his 298-minute stay. Pujara was lucky to be reprieved on 86 before tea by the Decision Review System.
Umpire Chris Gaffaney upheld the appeal from Zafar Ansari after Pujara, on 86 in a team score of 208 for 1, was rapped on the back leg, playing down the wrong line while defending.
The two batsmen after a short consultation asked for a review and the ball-tracker system found the ball going just over the stumps to give Pujara and India a big reprieve.
He was on 99 at tea and then reached the milestone in the first over after resumption of play.
Pujara and Vijay showed grit aplenty against some tight and probing bowling, especially from Broad and Chris Woakes to remain unconquered after batting for nearly the entire duration of two sessions.
Kohli-Jayant duo also eclipsed the previous highest
eighth-wicket partnership of 168 between the two countries standing in the name of England's Ray Illingworth and Peter Lever at Old Trafford, Manchester in 1971.
The partnership was finally broken at 605 after the duo had come close to bettering the century-old all-time best eighth-wicket of 243 between Australia's M J Hartigan and C Hill of Australia set in 1908.
It was when Yadav was stumped charging at leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who later finished with 4 for 192 after a marathon stint of 55.3 overs.
Kohli, who had already started chancing his arm in order to get quick runs, finally departed 10 runs later when he holed out to deep extra cover fielder James Anderson to give Chris Woakes his only wicket of the innings.
He was congratulated by the England fielders after his marathon effort that has virtually won the series for his team ahead of the Chennai game.
The Indian first innings came to an end 16 runs later to leave England with a massive task of playing for a draw on a track on which the ball spun considerably on occasions.
