So finally, the umpires have decided to call off play at 1430 IST with the weather and light not showing any improvement.

Also, the light drizzle is not helping matters as for the third straight day in a row, we have had not play at all.

A total of 180 overs have been lost on three days without a single ball being bowled.

As the covers are being brought to the middle, the Indian cricketers are keeping themselves busy with game of football or as some call it -- 'keep ups'.

It is a very light drizzle but the cloud cover overhead is getting darker and it remains to be seen if play with resume or not today!

Just as the umpires walk out after inspecting the conditions it has started to rain again in Bengaluru.

It is a very light drizzle and it remains to be seen if it affects the resumption of play.

The groundstaff have moved in very quickly to cover the pitch but are yet to cover the other parts of the ground.

Some of the Indian players have stepped on to the ground and just talking a casual stroll.

The umpires have just finished their third inspection at the M Chinnaswamy stadium and announced that play will start at 1400 IST.

A minimum of 45 overs will be bowled during the day.

The revised playing hours are:

2pm to 3.30 - 1st session of play

3.30 to 3.50 - Tea interval

3.50 to 5.15 - Final session

The umpires have also reserved an extension of 30 minutes which means play can go on till 5.45 if weather permits.

So after two and half days of no play, we can finally expect to see some action and hopefully weather stays clear!

The rain has stayed away but the waiting game continues as the umpires are still not happy with the conditions out in the middle.

They conducted a second inspection of the ground at 1130am IST before deciding that they will inspect the conditions against at 1pm.

There are some patches on the outfield which are a bit damp as of now and the umpires believe it will not ideal to start play at the moment.

It continues to be overcast in Bangalore but the light has improved slightly as the groundstaff continue to work on the outfield.

A few hot air blowers are being used to dry out the wet patches, which were of concern to the umpires when they inspected the outfield at 10am.

As of now, the conditions are looking good for play to resume later in the day, provided there is no rain.

The umpires conducted an inspection of the pitch and outfield at the M Chinnaswamy stadium and observed that the ground is still not ready for play to begin.

They announced that they will make another inspection at 1130 IST before taking a call on when play will start on Day 4.

The lunch break will be taken at 1130 IST which means if there is no rain, we could have play in the second session.

All the covers have gone off except the one on the pitch as the super soppers work around the outfield.

The Indian team has arrived at the ground and captain Virat Kohli has made his way to the indoor facilities at the NCA after a brief chat with the umpires.

Former South Africa player Kepler Wessels believes it will be difficult to get things underway without any sunshine as the outfield has become too soggy because of the incessant rain for the last two days. He says it will be too risky for the fielding side to run around on such a wet ground.

As of now, it is overcast and the light is not very good, so the wait looks to continue a bit longer. Stay tuned!

Welcome to the coverage of Day 4 of the second Test match between India and South Africa in Bangalore, on Tuesday.

The start has once again been delayed because of a wet outfield caused by overnight rain. The umpires will conduct an inspection of the conditions at 1000 IST before making a decision on when play will start on Day 4.

"If there is no further rain, we can get the ground ready by 10am," says one of the groundstaff.

However, after two successive days of no cricket because of rain, there are some encouraging signs as far as the weather is concerned.

There has been no rain for the past few hours and the groundstaff is busy working on removing the covers and getting the ground ready at the earliest.