On Monday, the weather was unpredictable and Australian resilience was reflected in umbrellas, frequent half-time breaks and hot coffee. The turning point in the third Test will certainly come against the hosts here at the Gabba.
The third day ended due to rain and India responded with 51 for four, lagging behind Australia’s first-innings score of 445. With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series tied at 1-1, Australia will still hope to have a chance of qualifying even if the weather is expected to be erratic over the next two days. Meanwhile, the visiting team must also contend with a current deficit of 394 games.
Rohit Sharma’s men had to contend with a damp start as there was a brief spell of rain. More pain was to come as the skies cleared and Yashasvi Jaiswal picked the fielder at short mid-wicket after completing four through balls while redirecting Mitchell Star Mitchell Starc’s pass.
The rush to the pavilion had begun and Shubman Gill’s itchy hands outside off-stump found Mitchell Marsh pulling off an aerial stunt at close range. Starc caused another infraction and the left-arm seamer has been a clear and present danger for India in this series.
There are high hopes for Virat Kohli because he has the pedigree and once upon a time, he could walk on water, especially in Australia. More interestingly, he scored a hundred in his first Test in Perth. However, the veteran awkwardly blocked Stark’s short ball and smiled wryly.
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Against Josh Hazlewood, Kohli extended his front foot and took what should have been an ideal shot. The ball fell hard into Alex Carey’s gloves and India were in trouble at 22 for three. Ritha Pant walked in, the rain came again and the players rushed into the warmth of the dressing room for an early lunch.
Upon resumption, Pant went against his second nature and tried to remain stubborn, beating Pat Cummins. India were in disarray with four overs and hopes rested on the covers written by KL Rahul. Despite repeated rains, the opener still had Rohit in his company.
On an early morning with bright sunshine and a gentle drizzle, Australia dismissed speculation about an overnight announcement and resumed play at 405 degrees (seven o’clock) overnight. The intention was clear: grind the visiting team into dust and gain psychological bonus points.
Starc used the long handle to good effect, lifting a six off Ravindra Jadeja and a four off Jasprit Bumrah Rod. The Indian spearhead soon had their revenge and as Starc slowly moved away, Carey, still at his best, danced and blasted a six over the Aakash Deep.
However, the tail quickly withered and, to be fair, Akash, who had no luck bowling in this Test, ended up bowling Carey (70). By then, the hosts had added 40 runs while losing their last three wickets, and India could only stare at a mountain too steep to climb.
