A day that promised thrilling cricket was marred by persistent rain, allowing only 13.2 overs of play on the opening day of the third Test in Brisbane. After opting to bowl first, India aimed to capitalise on the overcast conditions, but the Australian openers, Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney, stood firm, guiding the hosts to 28 without loss by the close of play.
The overcast skies and a green-tinged pitch at the Gabba influenced Rohit Sharma’s decision to field first, a choice that aligned with what Australian skipper Pat Cummins had hoped for. Both teams made changes to their line-ups. Australia brought in Josh Hazlewood in place of Scott Boland, while India introduced Akash Deep and Ravindra Jadeja, replacing Harshit Rana and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Harshit wasn’t at his best in the last game and for Akash Deep to replace him was quite fair given that the latter didn’t do anything wrong to be dropped for the first two Tests especially with Mohammed Shami not being there. Ashwin didn’t bowl a lot in Adelaide and with Jadeja having a better batting record in recent times, India have gone back to him.
Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah opened with a couple of tight overs. Surprisingly, there wasn’t much swing on offer. Mohammed Siraj, sharing the new ball, struggled to find his rhythm early on, bowling several short deliveries that Khawaja capitalised on, sending them to the boundary. While Khawaja looked proactive at the crease, McSweeney looked rock solid, leaving deliveries outside off and confidently defending those aimed at the stumps.
A brief rain interruption occurred as early as the sixth over, but play resumed within 30 minutes, giving India a chance to regroup. After the break, Akash Deep was brought into the attack and managed to trouble McSweeney with probing deliveries. Siraj also found his groove, consistently beating the bat and creating tense moments for the batters. However, just as India began building pressure, a heavier downpour halted the session and eventually brought an early end to the day’s play.
Rohit undoubtedly anticipated more movement from the ball in the first 9-10 overs than what was on offer. He’ll be hoping for better conditions tomorrow, though the weather forecast doesn’t appear too encouraging.