Australia and India will enter the Boxing Day Test with an equal scoreline, as the third Test in Brisbane concluded in a draw due to adverse weather conditions that limited play on the fifth day to merely 24.1 overs. The decision to end the match was made shortly after the Tea break, which was moved forward as players left the field because of insufficient light and the threat of rain. India was at 8 runs without loss in their fourth innings, chasing a target of 275 runs in approximately 54 overs.
Ravichandran Ashwin declared his retirement from all formats of cricket effective immediately, following the draw in the third Test against Australia in Brisbane on Wednesday, December 18. At the time of his retirement, the 38-year-old ranked fifth among ICC Test bowlers and third among allrounders.
India win the toss and decide to bowl first in a surprising decision
Day 1
India won the toss for the third consecutive time in the series, and this time, under cloudy skies, Rohit Sharma chose to field after making two changes to the playing XI from the match in Adelaide. Akash Deep, one of the new inclusions alongside Ravindra Jadeja, had to wait for his opportunity to participate as senior bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj sought to find the appropriate lengths on the grassy Gabba pitch.
Australia’s opening batsmen, Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney, remained unbeaten during the interrupted start to the Brisbane Test, which saw only 13.2 overs bowled in the first session, punctuated by two rain delays.
Notably, there was minimal swing or seam movement during the initial exchanges, allowing Khawaja, in particular, to comfortably dispatch deliveries that were either too short or too straight. Although Bumrah managed to challenge the left-hander on a few occasions, only one of the first 33 balls bowled by India was projected to hit the stumps. Additionally, it was curious to note that Bumrah bowled just three deliveries to McSweeney during his six-over opening spell.
Deep entered the attack as the first change shortly after the initial rain break and made a lively start. However, just as India seemed to be settling into a rhythm, the players were once again compelled to leave the field due to a heavy downpour. Day 1 ended with Australia scoring just 28 runs in 13 overs.
Day 2
India made significant inroads during a captivating and prolonged opening session on the second day of the Brisbane Test, with Jasprit Bumrah showcasing his dominance over Australia’s opening batsmen. The home team managed to score 76 runs at a modest run rate of 2.56, while veteran Steve Smith navigated through a challenging phase of play by reverting to a previously successful technique.
Following the disappointing first day, the early moments of Day 2 were brightened by a refreshing powdery blue sky over The Gabba. This change in atmosphere coincided with an impressive performance from Bumrah. On the opening day, he had bowled with a slightly straighter and shorter line to Usman Khawaja over six overs. However, he quickly adjusted his approach, delivering a remarkable spell at the start of the day.
Bumrah operated on the fuller side of a good length, between six and eight meters, compelling Khawaja to step forward while ensuring the length was not conducive to driving. Exploiting the batter’s uncertainty, he managed to beat Khawaja on the inside edge and twice on the outside edge during his initial over. He then achieved success with the very first ball of his subsequent over, as Khawaja tentatively edged a delivery in the fourth-stump channel, which straightened to clip the edge on its way to Rishabh Pant, marking the wicketkeeper’s 150th dismissal.
Labuschagne encountered more deliveries from Mohammed Siraj, successfully leaving balls on length and relying on the bounce of the pitch. Smith gradually found his batting rhythm against Nitish Reddy, content to accumulate runs on the on-side from the inexperienced seamer. The pair contributed 37 runs, although India ensured that these runs were accrued over nearly 15 overs. On the rare occasions when the strike changed, Nitish induced Labuschagne to drive at a full and wide delivery outside off-stump, resulting in an edge that was skillfully caught at second slip by Virat Kohli, who moved to his right.
India also experienced a few close calls against Smith, who shouldered arms to a nip-backer from Siraj and was saved by the ‘Umpire’s Call.’ Additionally, Smith managed to get a bit inside on a full delivery from the impressive Akash Deep. India’s promising morning was momentarily disrupted when Siraj limped off the field two balls into the seventh over of his spell, clutching his left hamstring, but he returned before the session concluded.
Travis Head once again proved to be a formidable opponent for India, achieving his third century in six innings against them, which propelled Australia to a commanding position at Tea on the second day of the Brisbane Test. Head, who remained unbeaten on 103, reached his second consecutive three-figure score, and his partnership of 159 runs with a determined Steve Smith, who scored 65 not out, brought the hosts to a total of 234 for 3. This performance has raised further questions regarding Rohit Sharma’s decision at the toss, as the pitch has proven to be quite favorable for batting thus far.
Following the completion of his half-century, Head accelerated his scoring, effectively dismantling the bowling duo of Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj. He amassed 31 runs off 40 balls against Jadeja, while Siraj’s five-over spell during the session yielded 30 runs. The seamer attempted to employ short deliveries but failed to challenge Head effectively, allowing him to either ramp the balls over the slip cordon or pull them between two fielders on the leg side, resulting in four boundaries. With the field spread, Head also capitalized on easy singles, taking advantage of a bowling attack that seemed to be biding its time for the second new ball.
Marnus Labuschagne contributed 37 runs alongside Smith but fell victim for the second time in the series to all-rounder Nitish Reddy. He attempted to play an expansive shot to a full delivery but only succeeded in edging the ball to Virat Kohli at second slip. Smith faced a couple of close LBW appeals before the session concluded, while Head continued to build on his promising start, ultimately leading to a shift in momentum in the period following lunch.
The dynamics of the match shifted significantly during the wicketless session following lunch, which commenced with a ball that had already been in play for 43 overs. Within the first hour, the duo of Head and Smith accumulated 54 runs without any risk. Bumrah bowled only two of the 13 overs before Akash Deep took over at his end. However, this change did not alter the fortunes of the Bengal seamer, who continued to elicit false responses without securing an edge. At one juncture, he outsmarted Smith with two consecutive deliveries and then struck him on the pads with a ball angled towards the right-hander. India opted for a review in anticipation, but the projected trajectory indicated that the ball would have missed the stumps.
During the period between overs 60 and 80, Australia amassed 127 runs, including 63 runs in the first 10 overs following the Tea break, leading up to the second new ball. Head required only 44 balls to progress from 50 to 100, while Smith, who reached his half-century off 128 balls, took an additional 57 balls to secure his second fifty, showcasing a series of his renowned shots along the way. Ultimately, it was another spell from Bumrah with the second new ball that restored some semblance of control for India. He claimed three wickets within a span of 12 balls, all through catches behind the wicket, achieving an impressive five-wicket haul, his second of the series, complementing a previous four-wicket performance in Adelaide. Nevertheless, even after slipping to 327 for 6, the conclusion of another Bumrah spell signaled Australia to capitalize further, as Alex Carey and Pat Cummins added another 58 runs for the seventh wicket, with Carey remaining unbeaten on 45 off 47 at the end of the day’s play.
Day 3
The majority of the day’s play unfolded during the extended first session, in which Australia managed to add 40 runs to their overnight total of 405 within just over an hour, prior to India claiming the last of the three remaining wickets. Following a brief five-minute delay due to rain, Alex Carey reached his half-century in 53 balls, concluding with a well-executed boundary off Ravindra Jadeja. Mitchell Starc contributed with a six and a four before being dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah, who secured his sixth wicket of the innings. This achievement also marked Bumrah’s 50th Test wicket in Australia, a milestone previously reached only by Kapil Dev for India.
The subsequent ten overs, interspersed with a 14-minute rain interruption, yielded a mere 22 runs, as Australia opted to exercise patience in pursuit of a single innings total. India adjusted their field placements for Carey and utilized this time to regulate Bumrah’s workload, removing him from the bowling attack after a three-over stint. Ultimately, Mohammed Siraj delivered a full-length ball that successfully penetrated Nathan Lyon’s defenses, while Akash Deep claimed the wicket of Carey, who was caught at deep mid-wicket for 70 runs off a short delivery, marking Deep’s only wicket after 29.5 overs of effort.
India's struggle with the batting order continue as they avoid follow on
India’s batsmen faced significant challenges as they had to repeatedly restart their innings after multiple interruptions, contending with a pitch that allowed Australia’s taller bowlers to exploit greater risks. Despite this, the quality of shot selection from the visiting team was disappointing, reflecting their ongoing difficulties in this format. Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed on the second ball of the innings, edging a full delivery from Mitchell Starc directly to Mitchell Marsh at square leg. This same bowler-fielder combination also claimed the wicket of Shubman Gill, who drove at a full and wide delivery without adequately shifting his weight onto his front foot.
Virat Kohli was responsible for stabilizing the innings; however, after struggling with deliveries in the channel and a short ball, he played a loose drive at a Josh Hazlewood delivery, resulting in his dismissal for just 3 runs. Immediately following his exit, another rain shower prompted an earlier-than-usual lunch break.
The rain returned shortly after the second session commenced, interrupting play again after just 3.5 overs. Following another brief resumption, India lost Rishabh Pant, who edged a length delivery from Pat Cummins that was angled across him. A subsequent heavy downpour caused a delay of nearly two and a half hours, coinciding with the scheduled Tea break. When play resumed, the players managed only a couple of overs of spin under diminishing light before another light rain forced them off the field for good.
Amidst the rain delays and batting struggles, KL Rahul managed to remain unbeaten on 33, showcasing a series of elegant cover drives despite suffering a painful blow to his left wrist early in his innings.
With only 33.1 overs of fragmented play on the heavily disrupted third day in Brisbane, the prospect of an Indian victory seemed nearly impossible. Given the limited time remaining in the match and forecasts predicting further rain, Australia remained optimistic about pursuing a 2-1 series lead, especially after their fast bowlers, led by Mitchell Starc, had reduced India to 51 for 4 in just 17 overs.
Day 4
Captain Rohit Sharma, the other overnight batsman, faced consequences for his initial error after being tested by Cummins during a challenging five-over spell. The Australian captain exploited Rohit’s struggles with weight transfer by delivering a sharp, short ball followed by a full delivery that was not quite full enough for a drive. Recognizing a rare chance to score, Rohit reached for the ball and edged it to the wicketkeeper, with the ball still relatively new at just 23 overs old.
Subsequently, Rahul and Jadeja combined to form India’s most productive partnership of the innings. Both players exhibited remarkable control, with Rahul, in particular, making astute decisions after positioning himself well with his technique. He selectively targeted only the genuinely full deliveries for his shots, favoring the square drive over the more expansive option toward extra cover. He patiently awaited straighter deliveries from the bowlers, which he then flicked, tucked away, or drove.
As has been observed throughout the series, batting became considerably easier once the ball exceeded 30 overs in age. Rahul and Jadeja accumulated runs without taking undue risks until their 67-run partnership was unexpectedly broken by Smith, who redeemed himself for an earlier drop by anticipating and leaping to his right to catch Rahul’s attempted cut off Nathan Lyon.
Jadeja then aimed to establish another half-century partnership with Nitish Reddy, as Australia found themselves racing against time with only 13.2 overs available during the middle session. During this period, Jadeja, participating in his first match of the series, reached his 22nd Test fifty. The seventh-wicket duo successfully navigated a spell from Starc following a 67-minute rain delay but were less fortunate against Cummins, who delivered a nip-backer to Reddy that dislodged the bails via an inside edge. At that moment, India still required 51 runs to avoid the follow-on, with only three fast bowlers remaining to support Jadeja.
India found themselves in a precarious position with Siraj batting at No. 9. Jadeja’s choice to allow him to face six deliveries from Starc turned out to be ill-advised, as the left-arm fast bowler successfully induced an outside edge from the tailender, resulting in a sharp catch behind the stumps. In an effort to manage the strike, Jadeja partnered with Bumrah, managing to hit a six off Lyon and fortuitously scoring a four off Cummins. However, a well-executed short ball strategy ultimately led to the all-rounder’s dismissal at 77, with Cummins claiming his fourth wicket.
At that juncture, India was still 33 runs short of forcing Australia to bat again. Nevertheless, Deep and Bumrah stood resolute against a two-man pace attack that was visibly struggling under the weight of their bowling workload. Bumrah skillfully navigated a bouncer from Cummins, pulling it for six, and then began to accumulate singles with composure. Deep contributed another vital boundary by slicing Starc over the slip cordon.
India was just 14 runs away from the follow-on threshold when Cummins opted to bring Lyon back into the attack, replacing Starc. The Australian captain pushed himself to continue bowling from the other end in pursuit of the final wicket, which would have secured him a five-wicket haul, but he ended up conceding seven runs in his 20th over. In his 21st, Deep edged a delivery over the cordon for a four, surpassing the crucial follow-on mark. To celebrate this achievement, which was met with enthusiasm in the Indian dressing room, Deep struck Cummins for a six over deep mid-wicket before the umpires decided to suspend play due to bad light.
With Australia reduced to just two frontline pacers, the match saw further overs lost to rain, and their quest for victory was hindered by resilient half-centuries from KL Rahul (85) and Ravindra Jadeja (77), along with a determined and spirited unbeaten 39-run partnership for the last wicket between Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah, which helped India evade the follow-on. At the end of the day, India remained 193 runs behind Australia’s first-innings total of 445.
Day 5
The visitors were fortunate to be aided by the weather, as Australia was left with only two frontline fast bowlers following Josh Hazlewood’s calf strain. Additionally, pivotal half-centuries from KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, along with a determined 47-run partnership for the 10th wicket between Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah, enabled the visitors to evade the follow-on late on Day 4.
Despite their overall dominance, Australia struggled to convert this into a victory, continually hindered by the weather conditions. In a frenetic post-lunch session on the final day, after only four overs had been bowled in the morning, their batsmen attempted to aggressively attack the bowling, inadvertently giving India a glimpse of a remarkable victory. Following Jasprit Bumrah’s dismissal of Usman Khawaja for the fourth time in the series, India swiftly reduced the hosts to 33 for 5, with Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj claiming wickets against Australian batsmen eager to hit big.
Travis Head and Alex Carey managed a brisk 27-run partnership off 22 balls before Pat Cummins struck two sixes and two fours in his quickfire 10-ball innings of 22. Ultimately, the question arose as to how many overs Australia deemed sufficient to secure a result with their three-man bowling attack. They eventually declared at 89/7. However, India’s openers calmly navigated 2.1 overs before bad light brought the players off the field for the final time in the Test.
In total, the Gabba Test featured only 216.1 overs of play, which, under normal circumstances, would have been reached by the midway point of the third day. The match was significantly impacted by weather conditions from the outset, with only 13.2 overs played on Day 1 and just 33.1 on Day 3. Nevertheless, Australia found opportunities to push for a series lead after accumulating 445 in their first innings and reducing India to 74 for 5 in response.
Australia and India will go into the Boxing Day Test level on the scoreline after the third Test in Brisbane ended in a draw after more bad weather reduced play on the fifth day to just 24.1 overs. The decision was made shortly after the Tea break, which was advanced as players went off the field due to poor light and impending rain. India were 8 for 0 in the fourth innings after being set to get 275 in about 54 overs.
SCORECARD: Australia 445 (Travis Head 152, Steve Smith 101; Jasprit Bumrah 6-76) & 89/7 dec. (Pat Cummins 22; Jasprit Bumrah 3-18) drew with India 260 (KL Rahul 84, Ravindra Jadeja 77; Pat Cummins 4-81) & 8/0.
