The first ball of the opening Test match between India and Sri Lanka will be delivered on Monday, the fourth day of the match, as the sun came out to dry the outfield after three days of rain.
Umpires Daryl Harper of Australia and Mark Benson from England inspected the ground at 9am local time (3.30am GMT) and decided to take another look after an hour before determining when the match can start.
The entire field has dried and groundsmen were busy marking the popping crease.
Three straight days of play have been washed out as rain caused by Cyclone Baaz in the Bay of Bengal has frustrated the cricketers and underscored questionable tour planning by the Indian cricket board.
In recent years, cricket fans in Madras have repeatedly suffered as officials have continued to schedule international games during the rainy reason. This is the fourth successive match to be disrupted by rains since 2003.
Despite disastrous experiences in the past two years, the Indian cricket board again scheduled two international matches — a one-dayer and this Test — during the monsoon season, which normally continues in the region until the second week of December.
The November 22 one-day international between India and South Africa was also washed out. – Sapa-AP