Rain in Brisbane threatens to hamper India, Australia's WTC final chances

There could be another twist in the race to the World Test Championship (WTC) final, as rain could hamper the third Test between India and Australia in Brisbane. 

The third Test at the Gabba will get underway from December 14 (Saturday). According to AccuWeather, rain is expected to play spoilsport, especially during the first four days of the Test, where the chances of precipitation are 88%, 59%, 60% and 55%, respectively.

That could hamper both India and Australia's chances of progressing to the WTC final at Lord's in June next year. However, the good news for both sides is that they will still have their fate in their own hands, even if the match ends in a draw. 

This would not be the first international match in Brisbane to be hampered by rain in recent times. Last month, a T20 International (T20I) between Australia and Pakistan was reduced to a seven-over contest due to continuous showers.

As things stand, South Africa are top of the WTC standings with 63.33% PCT, followed by Australia (60.71%) and India (57.29%).

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India will still be on course to win the series by a 3-1 margin, while for the Aussies, any result, except a 1-3 loss in the series, will keep them in the hunt. Remember, they still have an away tour of Sri Lanka to follow after the Tests against India.

But there is another roadblock. The fifth and final Test of the series will be played in Sydney, a venue where six of the last 10 Tests have been drawn. This puts India's chances in jeopardy, but Pat Cummins' side would not mind. 

Weather has also been a point of contention in Sydney, where India and Australia have played three draws in as many Tests since 2015.  If both Brisbane and Sydney end in a draw, that pretty much ends India's chances of making it through to their third WTC final in a row.

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