Earlier today, rain interrupted play during the third session of Day 3 at The Gabba, with India trailing Australia’s total by a significant 394 runs. At stumps, India was struggling at 51/4, with KL Rahul (33*) and skipper Rohit Sharma (0*) unbeaten at the crease.

India resumed the third session at 48/4, with Rahul and Rohit holding on after scoring 30 (52) and 0 (1), respectively. However, rain washed out most of the session, allowing only three overs, during which India added just three runs.

In the second session, rain had briefly interrupted play before resumption saw Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul attempting to build momentum. Pant picked up runs from loose deliveries, but the partnership was short-lived as Australian skipper Pat Cummins dismissed Pant (9) with a beautifully pitched delivery that nicked the batter’s outside edge and landed safely in Alex Carey’s gloves.

Rahul, undeterred, played a stunning cover drive off Cummins and continued the fight with a four off Mitchell Starc. However, rain once again intervened, stalling India’s attempt to build a recovery.

Earlier in the first session of Day 3, Australia dominated proceedings despite rain interruptions. Jasprit Bumrah removed Mitchell Starc early, who had looked dangerous after a powerful slog-sweep six off Ravindra Jadeja. Bumrah forced an edge from Starc, sending the ball to Rishabh Pant for a crucial dismissal.

Mohammed Siraj then broke through Nathan Lyon’s defense, clean bowling him. Australia’s innings finally ended at 445 when Alex Carey mistimed a shot off Akash Deep.

In reply, India’s batting lineup crumbled under the pressure of Australia’s pace attack, led by Mitchell Starc. Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for 1 after a brief boundary, handing an easy catch to Mitchell Marsh. Shubman Gill (1) and Virat Kohli (3) followed soon after, falling to Starc and Josh Hazlewood, respectively.

Brief Scores:
Australia 445 (Travis Head 152, Steven Smith 151; Jasprit Bumrah 6-76)
India 51/4 (KL Rahul 33; Mitchell Starc 2-25)*

Rain looms as a major factor heading into the final two days of the Test, threatening to disrupt the game further and possibly prevent a result.

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After rain had washed out the opening day, the skies cleared and bright sunshine greeted the players at The Gabba, promising an exciting day of cricket. Australia resumed their innings at 28/0 from 13.2 overs, with Akash Deep and Bumrah sharing the new ball. The battle between bat and ball became a spectacle as Bumrah and Akash produced an outstanding spell of pace bowling.

Akash set the tone by applying pressure from one end, while Bumrah expertly executed his skills from the other. Usman Khawaja, despite his vast experience, appeared unsettled facing Bumrah, who continued to extract pace and bounce from the surface. The pressure mounted, and eventually, Bumrah got the breakthrough, dismissing Khawaja for 21 after forcing him to edge the ball to Virat Kohli at second slip.

With Australia reduced to 39/2, Smith and Marnus Labuschagne steadied the ship. The two Australian batters batted cautiously, leaving deliveries outside the off-stump and attacking the ones closer to the leg stump. As their partnership began to build, the Indian fielders became visibly frustrated, searching for a breakthrough.

Mohammed Siraj attempted a tactical move by trying to change the bails on the stumps, in a bid to disrupt Labuschagne’s concentration. Labuschagne quickly replaced the bails, but his stay at the crease was short-lived. Nitish Kumar Reddy, bowling with impressive accuracy, lured Labuschagne into playing an aerial drive, which resulted in another thick outside edge that was caught by Kohli, dismissing Labuschagne for 12.

With Australia at 76/3, Bumrah and Akash kept the pressure on the Australian batsmen. Akash continued to bowl with precision, particularly challenging Travis Head, who responded with a smile at times, acknowledging the quality of the deliveries. Despite the sustained pressure, Head and Smith managed to see out the remaining part of the session without further casualties.

Brief Score:
Australia 104/3 (Steven Smith 25*, Travis Head 20*; Jasprit Bumrah 2/26) vs India.

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On Day 2 of the third Test against Australia in Brisbane, Bumrah was the standout performer for India. Despite Steve Smith and Travis Head’s relentless scoring, Bumrah kept picking up wickets. He dismissed both centurions and finished the day with impressive figures of 5/72 in 25 overs, maintaining a solid economy rate of 2.90. Bumrah’s scalps included Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Mitchell Marsh, as well as the two set batsmen, Smith and Head.

This five-wicket haul marks Bumrah’s 10th outside Asia, surpassing Kapil Dev’s tally of nine five-wicket hauls in overseas conditions. Bumrah now has three five-wicket hauls in Australia, three in South Africa, and two each in the West Indies and England. Kapil, by comparison, claimed five fifers in Australia and two each in England and the West Indies.

Bumrah also outdid Kapil in another key statistic: he now has eight five-wicket hauls in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) conditions, surpassing Kapil’s seven in these countries.

Additionally, Bumrah’s remarkable performance has placed him third on the list for the most five-wicket hauls in the history of the ICC World Test Championship, tying with Australian captain Pat Cummins, who also has nine. Only Nathan Lyon (10) of Australia and India’s spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin (11) have more five-wicket hauls in the competition.

Bumrah’s sensational form in 2024 has seen him become the leading wicket-taker in international cricket this year, with 73 wickets in just 20 matches at an average of 13.78 and best figures of 6/45. He has claimed four five-wicket hauls, with all four coming in Test matches. In 12 Tests, Bumrah has taken 58 wickets, the most by any bowler this year, at an average of 15.20.

As for the match, India won the toss and chose to bowl first. After a wicketless start on Day 1, which lasted around 13 overs, India returned on Day 2 refreshed and quickly dismissed Usman Khawaja (21 off 54 balls), Nathan McSweeney (9), and Marnus Labuschagne (12), reducing Australia to 75/3.

However, a brilliant 241-run partnership between Steve Smith (101 off 190 balls, with 12 fours) and Travis Head (152 off 160 balls, with 18 fours) gave Australia significant control. Bumrah broke the partnership, but Australia ended the day strongly at 405/7, with Alex Carey (45*) and Mitchell Starc (7*) remaining unbeaten.

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