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Melbourne Weather Forecast, Boxing Day Test: The third Test in Brisbane was heavily impacted by rain and it ended in a draw. Here’s a look at the forecast for the five days of the fourth Test to be held at MCG.
India vs Australia Weather Forecast: MCG will play host to IND and AUS for the 4th Test. (AP Photo)
India and Australia will lock horns at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the fourth Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy from Thursday. India will take the field for the first time since Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement mid-series.
Ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Mumbai’s spin-bowling allrounder Tanush Kotain has been added to India’s squad.
In the Australia camp, 19-year-old Sam Konstas has been added to the squad and is in line to replace Nathan McSweeney who failed to deliver for the hosts in the previous fixtures.
Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood was also ruled out of the rest of the campaign after sustaining an injury in Brisbane. Scott Boland has been roped in as his replacement in the playing XI.
Rain played spoilsport in Brisbane as the third Test ended in a draw. India won the toss and elected to bowl first during. Travis Head and Steve Smith scored centuries as Australia scored 445 runs in their first innings. KL Rahul top-scored for India with 84 while Ravindra Jadeja 77 to help India avoid follow-on after they suffered a batting collapse.
Rain though consistently interrupted the proceedings and despite Australia’s declaration on the fifth day to push for a win, the contest ended in a draw.
Melbourne Weather Forecast
The weather in Melbourne will likely be mostly cloudy on December 26. Despite the overcast skies, the chances of rainfall remain low at 2 per cent. There could be a rain shower in the evening with a 24 per cent chance of precipitation. The temperatures will range between 38 degrees Celsius during the day and 15 degrees Celsius at night.
MCG Pitch Report
The Melbourne Cricket Ground has hosted 116 Tests so far and only 17 of them have ended in draws. The pitch in Melbourne tends to provide a balance for both bowlers and batters. Early in the game, bowlers may take advantage of the nice bounce. As the pitch ages, batters may find it easier to score runs. The MCG curator says the pitch has been “more seam-friendly than spin-friendly.”
