Sourav Ganguly's return to international cricket was put on hold after heavy rain washed out the opening day's play in the first Test between India and Sri Lanka here on Friday.
The rain, a prelude to a cyclonic storm hovering in the region, pounded the Chepauk ground since Thursday night and drenched the uncovered parts of the outfield.
Umpires Daryl Harper and Mark Benson called off play during the scheduled lunch break at 11.30 am (0600 GMT) when the weather showed no signs of clearing.
Both camps will not announce their playing X1s till just before the toss, but Indian team sources told AFP that former captain Ganguly was certain to play.
Ganguly, sacked as captain and also from the one-day squad, will bat at number six, leaving both middle-order batsmen Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif out of the Test, the sources said.
Cyclone Baaz, which is building in the Bay of Bengal, was expected to hit the south-eastern coast of India within the next 24 hours amid fears of more rain in this cricket-mad citya.
Chennai has already seen it's last three international matches fall by the wayside due to bad weather.