Rains have effectively ruined the first cricket Test between India and Sri Lanka [Images] with the third day's play also being abandoned in Chennai on Sunday.

The two umpires -- Mark Benson and Daryl Harper -- inspected the ground at 8:30 am this morning and promptly decided to call off play.

Not a single ball has been bowled in the Test match so far because of inclement weather in the southern metropolis.

Although it did not rain in the morning, heavy downpour overnight rendered the outfield at the M A Chidambaram Stadium slushy and unfit for play.

Overcast conditions and prediction of more rains in the next 24 hours have virtually sealed the match's fate as dead.

The rains, being caused by Cyclone Baaz in the Bay of Bengal, have left disapponited the Chennai fans who had been hoping to catch some action in the Test after losing out on the India-South Africa one-dayer last month, also due to bad weather conditions.

The Test here could have accorded Sachin Tendulkar [Images] a chance to score a world record 35th Test century, surpassing his mentor and legend Sunil Gavaskar's [Images] tally of 34.

The rains have also prolonged dethroned captain Sourav Ganguly's [Images] much-speculated comeback to the national squad after missing out on the one-dayers against Sri Lanka and South Africa.

Besides the frustration of the players, who have been confined to their hotel rooms for the past three days, and the spectators, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association is also a hassled lot as it now faces the task of refund of tickets.

The TNCA is already entangled in legalities over refund for the India-South Africa one-dayer.