Australia only got to bowl 17 overs at India on another rain-affected day in the third Test in Brisbane but it was enough for their pace attack to dismantle India’s top-order as they sunk to 51-4 to end the third day 394 runs behind the hosts.
After Australia’s tail wagged with the bat for a little longer to reach 445 all out early on Monday, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood quickly had India in trouble with a devastating opening spell at the Gabba.
Starc (2-25) took the wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill in his first two overs to set the tone, before Hazlewood (1-17) captured the prize wicket of Virat Kohli just before one of many passing rain showers brought on an early lunch with India at 22-3.
After removing Jaiswal (4) with the first ball of the innings in the second Test at Adelaide, Starc needed just two balls at the Gabba to remove the tourists’ opener.
The first ball was swiped through gully for a boundary by the 22-year-old but the second he chipped a simple catch to Mitch Marsh at midwicket for a soft dismissal.
In his next over, Starc struck again with Marsh diving acrobatically to take a two-handed catch at gully to remove Gill (1) and India were 7-2.
Hazlewood, back in the team after a side strain ruled him out of last week’s second Test, then rocked India further by teasing an edge from the veteran Kohli to have India three down as rain began to fall and prompted an early lunch.
On the resumption, skipper Pat Cummins (1-7) got his first wicket by removing Rishabh Pant caught behind to reduce India to 44-4.
Captain Rohit Sharma came out to join KL Rahul but there was only time for a superb cover-drive boundary for the latter before another passing shower forced players from the field.
How the wet weather leaves the third Test
Nathan Lyon removes the bails as rain stops play on day three
The rest of the afternoon saw the weather look to clear but just as play appeared set to resume another passing rain shower would cross over the arena.
Play finally resumed just after 5pm local time, but only 17 more balls were bowled for three runs, before another passing shower and deteriorating light forced the end of the day’s play.
Australia now have two days of play remaining, weather permitting, and their path to a possible victory would seem to be contingent on bowling India out for less than 244 in the first innings and enforcing the follow-on.
The hosts had resumed on Monday at 405-7 and some big hitting by Starc and Alex Carey lifted Australia to 445. Carey was the final wicket to fall, holing out in the deep for an enterprising 70 off 88 balls – his ninth Test half-century.
Jasprit Bumrah added one more wicket to return figures of 6-76, having completed his 12th five-wicket haul in Tests the day before.
India won the first Test by 295 runs at Perth, while Australia came back to win the second day-night Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets.
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