The Boxing Day Test wicket is likely to have Indian superstar Jasprit Bumrah licking his lips, regardless of the expected day-one furnace at the MCG.
Depending on how long the fourth Australia-India Test lasts, Melbourne Cricket Club chief executive Stuart Fox says a total attendance of more than 250,000 could be possible.
Day one on Thursday is sold out, with the temperature expected to hit 40 degrees.
The MCG has made a deliberate effort over the past few years to make its Test pitches more friendly for pace bowlers.
Head curator Matt Page was asked if Bumrah, the standout bowler in the series so far, would be pleased with the pitch prepared.
"All the good bowlers get excited when they come here now. It gets through well for us," Page said on Monday.
"We're never going to be as quick as Perth and Brisbane, but over the last few years we've managed to get some pace in it, which has created that excitement.
"There's a bit of grass on it. If you're a fast bowler and you look at it, you probably do get excited."
Page added the forecast heat over the next couple of days would not affect the pitch preparation unduly.
"It probably means it might quicken up a bit quicker than what it would if it was 20 (degrees)," he said.
"Whether we leave a bit more moisture in it, I can't say yes or no at this stage.
"We'll keep monitoring the weather ... and adjust our preparation accordingly.
"We've been really happy with the last couple of years, so it's a rinse-and-repeat job for us."
India have been training at the MCG for a couple of days already and there are murmurs out of their camp about the quality of the net wickets.
Page countered that how his team prepared the net wickets was standard ahead of Boxing Day.
"Three days out, we prepare Test match pitches. If teams come and train before that, they get what pitches we've had. It's stock-standard procedure for us," he said.
Fox said the MCG would have extra bottles of water available on Thursday and urged fans to look after themselves in the heat.
"It's going to be challenging for everyone," Fox said of the day one weather.
Fox is also excited about what sort of crowd figure the match would generate.
"Why couldn't we have a Test match that is 270,000? There are no limits," he said.
Page was asked how he would feel if the Test did not go into day four, as was the case in Adelaide.
"If the game only goes for two-and-a-half days, but you see a great game, is that good for the game?" he said.
