Weather in Port of Spain could play spoilsport in India‘s quest for a 2-0 whitewash over the West Indies, with rain forecast for the morning and afternoon sessions of the fifth and final day of the Trinidad Test.

The hosts ended the fourth day on 76-2, having been set a target of 365, following India’s rapid second innings of 181-2 declared in just 24 overs. As things stand, India need eight wickets to make the series 2-0, while West Indies need 288 runs in three sessions to make it 1-1.

However, rain, which also affected the third and fourth days, could play a role in how the fifth day unfolds as well.

A tweet posted by broadcaster Raunak Kapoor a couple of hours ahead of the scheduled start showed rain at the venue, with the pitch being covered and dark grey clouds.

Not looking good at Port of Spain. Forecast for the day not great either. #WIvsIND pic.twitter.com/NuI8c6ZS0A

— Raunak Kapoor (@RaunakRK) July 24, 2023

Ahead of the day’s play, fellow broadcaster Daren Ganga said “things don’t look quite well for the start of day five”, noting the puddles of water as rain continued to fall through the morning and mentioning how his shoes got soaked while travelling across the ground to the pitch. However, he also pointing out that the Queen’s Park Oval drains well, suggesting that there was hope for play once the rain subsides.

Here’s what the weather forecast says on multiple channels:

WI vs IND second Test, day five: Weather forecast for Port of Spain

Google

According to Google, there’s a 59 per cent chance of precipitation in Port of Spain around 10 to 11am – the first session of play – and staying as high as 55 per cent till 2 pm. Thereafter, the numbers drop, going down to 23 per cent chances by 5 to 6pm.

AccuWeather

AccuWeather has a much better forecast for the first session, with the chances of precipitation ranging from 10 to 14 per cent between 10am and 12pm. However, it goes up to 51 per cent by 1pm, staying in the 40s until 3pm.

The Weather Channel

Hourly forecast ranges from 42 per cent chance of precipitation to 63 per cent between 10am and 3pm. As of 9am AST, the forecast states that “occasional thunderstorms are likely to continue over the next several hours”.

Trinidad & Tobago Met Office

According to T&T’s meteorological department, an update at 6am AST on the 24th morning says: “Partly cloudy/cloudy with occasional showers and the medium (60%) chance of thunderstorm activity.”

BBC Weather

BBC also has a better forecast for Monday, with chances of precipitation hovering around 30 per cent around noon, but not going above through the day.

Updated:  July 24, 9am local time

How does rain affect India’s WTC chances?

India currently lead the series 1-0. If rain doesn’t allow them to bowl out West Indies, and if the chase isn’t complete, they’ll end up missing out on a 2-0 series sweep. To note: each win in the WTC cycle gives a team 12 points, while a draw gives four.

With India set to tour South Africa and Australia in their ongoing World Test Championship cycle, a 2-0 overseas win against West Indies, ranked eighth in the Test rankings currently, would have given them a significant boost. India’s three other series in the 2023-25 WTC cycle are at home, against England, Bangladesh and New Zealand.