Martin wins sprint, Bezecchi on pole

From the moment the lights went out for the first time in a MotoGP race in India, albeit sprint, till the chequered flag, the 11-lap, action-packed race ended without any incidents, allaying all safety concerns riders and team personnel had before stepping on to the Buddh International Circuit (BIC)

- Sandip Sikdar

Brief but torrential rain just ahead of the race spiced things up. While it brought down the temperatures which had been bothering riders for the last two days, it also washed off all the rubber on track that was laid in the four previous practice sessions, making the circuit green as new. The rain delayed the race almost into the evening, making it a photographers' paradise with riders speeding their machines in the twilight sun.

But nothing bothered Jorge Martin. Starting from P2, the Pramac rider took victory in 19 minutes and 18.836 seconds as he wheelied past the finish line to end 1.389 seconds ahead of reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia to close the gap to the championship leader to 33 points ahead of Sunday's final - the 21-lap feature race.