After Vidarbha won the toss and decided to bowl first, play was stopped and the start delayed because a snake had sneaked on to the field. The players waited patiently as the ground staff was pressed into service to see the snake off the ground.
Play has often stopped during professional cricket matches because of intrusion by dogs and bees. But a snake on the ground was a dangerous affair. In the 2019 Cricket World Cup, a swarm of bees stopped play between South Africa and Sri Lanka. Players from both teams and the umpires were forced to lie down on the ground to avoid being stung.
In Vijaywada. once the snake was safely removed from the ground, Andhra captain and Team India Test regular Hanuma Vihari led a resolute fightback after his team had been reduced to 59 for 3.
Two years ago, play was halted during the Ranji Trophy because a car drove into the ground during a game between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh at the Palam Air Force Ground.
That game featured players like Ishant Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Rishabh Pant - they were on the field when the intuder drove his car on to the ground.