He was India captain Rohit Sharma's opening partner in the home T20 series against Afghanistan earlier this year but his place looked under threat as he struggled for runs in the IPL
Only 141.1 overs have been bowled in the match so far as the inclement Southampton weather continued to bedevil the inaugural edition of Test cricket's pinnacle event.
New Zealand, who will resume on 101-2, would be particularly disappointed having taken the upper hand after their all-seam attack bowled out India for a below-par 217.
Captain Kane Williamson, batting on 12, and Ross Taylor, who is yet to score, would have expected to erase the 116-run deficit and push for a handy first-innings lead.
Rain had washed out the entire opening day on Friday and interrupted play over the weekend, though a reserve day is allocated to make up for lost time.