Last Updated on 4 weeks by Charbel Coorey
Anticipation is building for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) after weather played spoilsport at the Gabba, leaving the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series on a knife’s edge at 1-1.
Australia, seeking an improvement on their poor top order returns thus far, have dropped Nathan McSweeney. Sam Konstas is in line for a Test debut, and it will be interesting to see how the Melbourne weather affects the MCG pitch.
Day one is forecast to be a scorcher, with temperatures to touch 40 degrees. This makes winning the toss quite crucial as the surface may wear out quicker due to the heat. India have won all three tosses so far in this series.
MCG Melbourne weather for 4th BGT Test: Conditions look good for the Boxing Day clash
Bureau of Meteorology (bom.gov.au) forecasts sun, wind and a top temperature of 39 degrees on day one – conditions that will be sure to test the players and 90,000-odd spectators. This weather will bake the surface, with any moisture sure to evaporate quite quickly and make for decent batting conditions.
Day two (Friday) is cooler with a top of 25 degrees and 50% chance of showers, but only 0-1mm is forecast at this stage.
AccuWeather’s forecast is similar, with rain expected to play a minimal role in the Test. The weather on days 3-5 also look good with top temperatures around 27 degrees. Of course, the Melbourne weather can be unpredictable, but the forecast looks promising.
Batting last could be tricky at the MCG
Teams batting last have won just three of the past 15 Tests at the MCG, including India by eight wickets in 2020. Batting fourth could be tricky in this Test given the surface should wear out – and potentially have cracks – as sunny and warm conditions will be a common feature throughout the match.
This should bring the spinners into play. Nathan Lyon is having a quiet series so far, and Australia need him to deliver with Mitch Marsh’s limited bowling. For India, Ravindra Jadeja can play a key role given his accuracy.
That being said, the excellent fast bowlers in both teams can take advantage of any wear and cracks that appear, so first innings runs could prove crucial to the final result.
