India arrive for the latest edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy off the back of a shock 3-0 home whitewash to New Zealand, and will be looking to bounce back quickly in Australia, as they chase a 5th consecutive Test series win over their opponents.
The visitors do have some selection headaches though, with captain and opening batter Rohit Sharma almost certain to miss the first Test. Shubman Gill is also likely to be missing through injury. In the bowling department, it remains to be seen whether they opt to go for three or four quicks on a track that is expected to assist pace and bounce.
Also read: India's predicted XI for the Perth Test: At least one debutant expected
Australia, meanwhile, have a settled lineup, with their one major selection call being made soon after the second match between India A and Australia A earlier this month. Nathan McSweeney will make his Test debut as David Warner's replacement, partnering Usman Khawaja at the top of the batting order. Barring any injuries, there will be no major changes to their first-choice lineup.
There has been some rain in Perth over the last few days, though. Here's what the forecast looks like for the opening day of the Test.
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AUS vs IND 2024 1st Test Day 1: What is the rain forecast during the game?
According to Accuweather, there is very little to be worried about. Chances of rain remain at 0% throughout the first day. However, the humidity is predicted to be quite high (over 70%) in the early hours of the morning on Friday, meaning there is a chance that the forecast could shift slightly. It does predict some rain (25% chance) for day three of the match, though.
BBC Weather is similarly optimistic about the rain staying away on day one. It predicts "sunny intervals and a gentle breeze" around the start time of 10:20AM, with the highest chance of rain only 3%, around noon.
Weather.com has a slightly more pessimistic forecast. It puts the chances of rain at 31% around 2:00AM on Friday morning, 20% at 6:00AM and 15%at 8:00AM. There forecasts are still not much to worry about, but any rain around one and a half to two hours before the start of play could lead to a delay.
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