SL-IND, 1st Test: Rain could affect final day's play
What's the story
The final day of the first Test match between India and Sri Lanka in Galle could be heavily affected by rain. As things stand, the Lankans are in a precarious position with four wickets down and still needing 288 runs to win. The weather forecast predicts rain on Day 5, which could further complicate matters for both teams.
Match status
India's dominant position on Day 4
India, riding on a blistering 66 from Rishabh Pant, dominated Day 4.
Their bowlers put up a relentless performance to leave Sri Lanka reeling at 84/4 by stumps.
This puts India in a commanding position with victory in sight.
Pant, Devdutt Padikkal (44), and KL Rahul (35) helped India post 193 in their second innings, setting an imposing target of 372 for Sri Lanka.
Weather forecast
Weather forecast for Day 5
The weather could be a major factor in determining the outcome of this match.
The opening hour of the day's play is expected to see a mostly cloudy sky, with rain predicted between 11:00am and 1:00pm IST, as per Accuweather.
Another spell of rain is expected only at 8:00pm by which time the Test will be over.
At noon, there is a 58% chance of rain. However, these two hours of rainfall could greatly influence the match result if Sri Lankan batters manage to survive and save their wickets.
Match history
Sri Lanka's monumental task in Galle
To put Sri Lanka's daunting task into perspective, the highest successful fourth-innings chase at Galle is Pakistan's 344 in 2022.
Since 1998, a target of 200 or more has been chased just twice at this venue.
This unfavorable history weighs heavily on Sri Lanka as they look to bat out the final day without losing further wickets.
Future impact
Impact of rain on World Test Championship standings
Rain has already interrupted play on Day 2 and is expected on Days 3 and 4.
If the match is washed out due to rain, both teams will get only four points each instead of the full 12 for a win.
This would be a major blow to India's hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship final.