India Vs Australia, Boxing Day Test: Melbourne Weather Forecast, Chances Of Rain

With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 series locked at 1-1, India and Australia will take the field for the Boxing Day Test, starting in Melbourne Thursday (December 26, 2024). The fourth Test's outcome could be pivotal to the teams' chances of qualifying for the ICC World Test Championship final. (Streaming | Prediction | Preview)

If India win the fourth Test, they will retain the trophy. But if they lose, not only will Australia get a foot in the door, the Indians will then need help from other results to be able to advance to the WTC final. As for the Aussies, a win here is crucial in their push for a first series win over India in a decade.

A lot has transpired and been said since the rain-induced draw at the Gabba Test in Brisbane. Spin supremo Ravichandran Ashwin has retired, Mumbai all-rounder Tanush Kotian has flown in as cover and prime speedster Mohammed Shami ruled out of the last two Tests too.

As for the hosts', the ever-attacking Travis Head has been cleared to play in Melbourne and 19-year-old Sam Konstas handed a debut after only 11 first-class matches. Captain Pat Cummins has asked Konstas to "have fun and not overthink" on his first outing.

"You just want to take the game on, have fun and not overthink. So that's the message to Sam. That's definitely how I felt as an 18-year-old, I was just really excited," Cummins said ahead of the Melbourne clash.

India Squad And Australia Playing XI

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Tanush Kotian, Sarfaraz Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Dhruv Jurel, Devdutt Padikkal.

Australia: Pat Cummins (captain), Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marcus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland.

The toss for the MCG Test is scheduled at 4:30am IST, with the first ball at 5am and the opening session from 5am to 7am. The post-lunch session is slated for 7:40am to 9:40am, and the third and final session from 10am to noon.

India Vs Australia, Boxing Day Test: Weather Forecast

Given how rain had the last laugh in Brisbane, fans are anxious about the weather forecast for the Boxing Day Test. There is good news in store for them, thankfully.

There is nearly zero chance of rain on Day 1 of the Test. On Day 3 (Saturday, December 28), there is a 24 percent probability of showers, the highest among all five days of the match. The weather will be partly cloudy all through the Test, but it is unlikely that rain will play a big part in the encounter.

Speaking of the opening day, it is expected to be hot, with the maximum temperature predicted to be hovering around 39 degrees Celsius. The sweltering hot conditions could prove to be a challenge for whichever team fields first, and the batting side might get the chance to tire out the fast bowlers if it can withstand the opening burst.

From Day 2 onwards, playing conditions are likely to be much cooler. The humidity will be in the 20s on Day 1 after which the numbers will rise to the 40s and 50s.