Brisbane’s big wet looms as India’s best chance of saving the third Test against Australia, after the tourists slumped to 51-4 after a miserable day three for them at the Gabba.
In between seven rain delays, one aborted start and an early finish due to bad light, Australia were all out for 445 before Mitchell Starc stamped his authority with the ball.
Further rain is forecast on the final days, meaning the only way Australia may win this game and take 2-1 series lead is if they bowl India out for 245 or less and enforce the follow on to bat just once.
But the hosts’ bowlers have given them every chance of doing just that, running through an Indian top order becoming more fragile as the tour wears on.
Starc (2-25) took wickets in each of his first two overs, before a brilliant piece of fielding from the quick gave Josh Hazlewood the chance to remove Virat Kohli.
The left-armer had Yashavi Jaiswal out second ball for four, when the opener inexplicably hit Starc straight to Mitch Marsh at forward square leg.
In Starc’s next over he had Shubman Gill caught in the gully, this time wonderfully taken by a diving Marsh moving high to his left.
The quick was influential again for Australia’s next wicket, when he dived to cut off a KL Rahul hook shot near the boundary and keep it to one run.
Next ball, Hazlewood drew the edge of a driving Kohli to have him caught behind for three, continuing the Indian mega star’s horror run in first innings.
A brief seven-ball period on the field between rain delays also allowed Pat Cummins to draw Rishabh Pant’s edge and have him caught behind for nine.
Play then returned for 17 more overs late in the day, before umpires ended the day with spinners bowling under floodlights.
Rahul provided India’s only resistance, with three immaculate cover drives to the boundary helping him to 33.
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The wickets came after Alex Carey’s 70 helped Australia push towards a large first-innings total, off the back of Steve Smith and Travis Head’s day two hundreds.
Carey brought up his 50 in the day’s second over when he swept Ravindra Jadeja for four, and later jumped down the deck to hit Akash Deep for six over long off.
Starc also landed some lofty blows off Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah, before becoming the latter’s sixth victim when caught behind.
Bumrah’s figures of 6-76 were the best by an Indian at the Gabba. His fellow bowlers collected 4-352 between them.
After rain washed out most of day one, a draw would come as a significant blow to Australia’s hopes of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
With the series locked at 1-1, India would therefore need to win only one of the last two Tests to ensure at least a drawn series and retain the trophy as the current holders.
