The rain, which lasted for over three hours on Tuesday, left the umpires with two options – try and prepare the ground for a 20-over second innings, or continue proceedings the next day, with New Zealand resuming where they left off, on 211-5.
As the covers came off and the rain eased, it looked like a 20-over chase could be on the cards, which, under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system, would have left India requiring 148 to win.
Ross Taylor was batting on 67, with Tom Latham on three at the other end when rain forced the players off.
Match officials waited for more than four hours while rain stopped and started before deciding to take the game to the rest day.
The group match between 2015 finalists New Zealand and twice champions India last month was one of the four 'no-result' matches in the rain-hit tournament.
Assuming the weather in Manchester plays ball, New Zealand will resume their innings tonight (NZ time) with 3.5 overs to face and each team will complete their full complement of 50 overs.
Before the weather interrupted proceedings, New Zealand had a difficult time with the bat and were contained by tight bowling from the start by Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Martin Guptill's wretched form continued getting out for one of 14 balls.
Once the spinners came on there was more turn than expected and New Zealand continued to find it difficult to score.
New Zealand were once again heavily reliant on Kane Williamson, who scored a relatively assured 67 before he got out against the spin of Yuzvendra Chahal just as he was beginning to up the tempo.
There is more rain predicted in Manchester on the reserve day, and if there is no result India will go through as the top qualifier.
- with NZME and Reuters
