AUS vs IND 2024-25: How rain and pitch could impact proceedings on Day 2 in Sydney

Day 2 of the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between Australia and India is poised to be a fierce duel between the two sides. The first day of the Test saw 11 wickets fall, with 75.2 overs resulting in only 194 runs being scored. The pacers got plenty of assistance off a lush Sydney deck at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Both the sides would be aiming to make use of the conditions and get kicktart proceedings in their favour.

The weather forecast for Day 2 promises another full day's play. The probability of precipitation is zero throughout the day. The temperature is expected to be 18°C at 7 am AEDT. The wind speed is expected to pick up from 11 km/h to 32 km/h from the morning to afternoon. The gust is expected to play a slight role in the aerial movement of the ball. 

In addition to the aforementioned parameters, the UV index is anticipated to be very high (12) between 1 pm AEDT and 2 pm AEDT. Therefore, it will be important for players to remain constantly hydrated. 

As far as the pitch is concerned, former Australian cricketer, Simon Katich, analysed how the deck played out on Day 1 and the manner in which it might behave on Saturday.

"This SCG wicket is probably the bounciest wicket I’ve seen here in a long time. It wasn’t easy - it moved around all day. The pitch has offered assistance to both fast bowlers and spinners, with the bounce and movement keeping the batsmen on their toes," stated Katich, as quoted by India Today.

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Keeping Katich's analysis in mind, it is expected that the track will continue to be lively for the majority of the day. However, there is always a chance of the pitch flattening out over time. Hence, Australia would be aiming to play see off the new ball before moving onto thinking about the style of play they would want to adopt to set a sizeable total in their first innings.