The India batters’ inability to grind it out against a relentless Australian pace attack in testing conditions left the team precariously placed at 51 for four at the end of a rain-marred day three of the third Test in Brisbane
At the close of a rain-soaked third Test day in Brisbane on Monday, the Indian squad was in a hazardous position at 51 for four due to the batsmen’ failure to hold their own against an unrelenting Australian pace attack in difficult circumstances. The unmatched Jasprit Bumrah continued to put in the hard work, finishing with outstanding numbers of 6/76 as India bowled out Australia for 445 in their first innings on a stop-start day, adding 40 runs to the overnight total.
After Steve Smith and Travis Head’s contrasting hundreds on the second day created the groundwork for a total that appeared more than sufficient barely 14 overs into the Indian first innings, Alex Carey added an entertaining 70 off 88 balls.
Since the 2020 ball update, playing the red Kookaburra has grown more difficult due to the addition of more lacquer on a strengthened seam, which makes the ball stiffer and ensures greater movement off the field.
Given the situation, the Indians had to exercise patience and finish the first 25–30 overs while bowlers like Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc were in action.
However, the visiting top-order hitters failed to fulfill their obligations. Once more, deliveries in the channel right beyond the off-stump caused players like Virat Kohli to fall.
The circumstances were indeed difficult, but Smith, who first had to contend with difficult fast bowling stints from Akash Deep and Bumrah on route to a drought-breaking century, may have served as a model for the Indian batsmen.
Starc, Hazlewood strike early
As the two teams took an early lunch break with the visitors reeling at 22 for three, left-arm pacer Starc scored twice and Josh Hazlewood once after Australia amassed over 450 runs.
To exacerbate the situation for the Indians, Pat Cummins took the crucial wicket of Rishabh Pant in the second session.
After lunch, Rahul and Pant went back to the middle to face some aggressive fast bowling from Starc and Hazlewood before the day’s several heavy storms cut short the action.
When Hazlewood was in operation, Cummins retained three slips and a gully for Pant instead of the four guys in the slip cordon and a gully for Rahul.
When Starc held the red cherry in his palm, he had two gullies and three slides.
As the visitors once again looked down the barrel following their defeats in Adelaide, Starc got rid of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second delivery of the India innings, then got rid of Shubman Gill before Hazlewood got rid of Kohli.
After the India number three played away from the body, Marsh made a spectacular catch in the slip cordon off Starc’s bowling, sending Gill back.
In a now-familiar sequence, Kohli chased a length delivery outside off before nicking it to Alex Carey, leading to his dismissal.
Starc also contributed to Kohli’s dismissal. Starc saved what appeared to be a definite boundary as KL Rahul dragged a short ball from Hazlewood to long leg, putting the former Indian captain back on the scoreboard. Immediately after the following delivery, Kohli was removed.
This came after Hazlewood hit Kohli with a full-length ball outside off-stump. Rather than abandoning the ball, Kohli tried to drive, which gave him an outside edge.
This marks the fourth time that Kohli has been fired in this manner. In order to address his shortcomings against deliveries on the fourth and fifth stumps, former India player Sanjay Manjrekar has previously suggested that he go into a another method.
Carey reached his half-century off just 53 balls overnight, sweeping Ravindra Jadeja for a boundary into fine-leg.
Before Mitchell Starc made the decision to drop to one knee and slog sweep Jadeja for a six over square leg, Bumrah returned to bowl another maiden over.
Jadeja, who is renowned for his precision bowling that keeps one end tight, was scoring five runs per over, and the veteran left-arm spinner’s carelessness added to the load on a taxed pace attack.
Although there was some turn and bounce to the Gabba surface, Jadeja made the mistake of bowling too straight to the left-handers.
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