Weather cools in Melbourne to bring respite

The summer was expected to be at its peak. But cloudy skies and cool, gushing winds have brought the temperatures down so much that the residents of Melbourne had to pull out their jackets.

Just a fortnight ago, Melbourne was piping hot during the Boxing Day Test. The Indian players who assembled here on Wednesday after a break of three days, would be happy that the weather has taken a turn for the better. It should remain cloudy for the next few days, giving the Indians quite a respite as they begin their preparation for the Tri-series with a net session at the MCG on Thursday afternoon.

The Indian team will have to rely on just practice sessions over the next three days as no warm-up game has been scheduled for them to prepare for their opening match against Australia on January 18. Originally, the match was slated for January 16, but as the Test schedule was pushed back in the wake of the death of Phil Hughes, Indias opening Tri-series match was also deferred to give them sufficient time for rest.

England, on the other hand, played a warm-up game in Canberra, before they take on the hosts in the opening match of the tri-series on Friday. Before Christmas, they were involved in an ODI series in Sri Lanka, which claimed the head of their skipper Alastair Cook, after the team suffered a humiliating 2-5 loss. England, under new captain Eoin Morgan, would like to turn a new leaf from here.

On Thursday, some of the Indian players will be present at a function at the MCG to unveil the new ODI clothing for the ODI series. Three players Stuart Binny, Ambati Rayudu and Mohit Sharma have joined the team after their last round of Ranji Trophy matches. On Thursday, the team will again be under the command of ODI captain MS Dhoni.