The ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy is evenly poised, with the scoreline tied 1-1. India started by winning by a record margin of 295 runs at Perth riding on Jasprit Bumrah’s 8-72 across the match. The hosts clawed back in the series by winning the next day-night match at Adelaide by 10 wickets, with Travis Head starring with a 141-ball 140.

The third Test, also a rain-hit affair, was fought tooth and nail. A comeback hundred from Steve Smith following a change of stance and another big ton from Head, this time a 152, helped Australia score 445 in the first innings. India in response avoided a rare follow-on by a whisker, getting bowled for 260. Inclement weather and Australia's collapse on day five, where they were reduced to 89-7 before declaring in the second innings, gave the tourists a sniff. Chasing 275, they reached 8-0 when weather interrupted again, ending the match in a draw.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Wisden India (@wisdenindia)

The remaining two Tests are important for both sides, not only for the series result but also for qualifying for the World Test Championship final.

Weather predictions for Melbourne Test match between Australia and India

According to predictions on Google Weather, there’s a 10 per cent chance of precipitation on the opening day which rises to 20 per cent on the second and third day before easing up later on.

Accuweather, however, forecasts the maximum chance of precipitation on day one at 25 per cent. Thereafter the chances are negligible with the weather likely to remain "mostly cloudy".

The rain predictions of BBC Weather are the most optimistic, with likely rainfall for the first two hours of play on day two. The chances range from seven to 10 per cent. The rest of the match is predicted to be dry with "sunny" weather.

Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.