Key events
44th over: India 152-6 (Jadeja 29, Reddy 4) Jadeja clips a fuller ball to the vacant square leg as Cummins drifts onto the pads a couple of times. Cummins digs in a bouncer as Reddy comfortably ducks and Carey dives to his left but can’t prevent the four byes.
43rd over: India 145-6 (Jadeja 26, Reddy 4) Australia get the breakthrough they needed before lunch and it takes a classic catch from Smith at first slip to clinch it. Lyon had hardly troubled Rahul but he extracts more bounce than the India opener perhaps expected. Nitish Kumar Reddy is the next batter at the crease and shows his intentions with a drive for four from his second ball faced.
Wicket! Rahul c Smith b Lyon 84 (India 141-6)
Redemption for Steve Smith after he spilled a sitter off KL Rahul at second slip from the first ball of the day. This time he pulls in a cracking one-hander from first slip as Rahul cuts hard. The ball was behind Smith by the time he got his right hand to the ball but it sticks and India lose a key wicket.
42nd over: India 141-5 (Rahul 84, Jadeja 26) Cummins returns in place of Starc as the Australia skipper keeps swinging the bowling changes. He once again chips away outside off, with Rahul’s pull to backward point the one run from the over.
Lyon hasn’t been able to find much out of this pitch yet despite cracks appearing amid the grassy green signs of life. With Hazlewood sidelined and sent off for scans on a calf concern, it wouldn’t surprise to see Marnus Labuschagne warming up and reminding his skipper that he himself enjoys a trundle.
But would we prefer to see Labuschagne bowling spin or seamers at this stage, or even at all? Let us know with an email or @martinpegan on Bluesky or X.
41st over: India 140-5 (Rahul 83, Jadeja 26) Jadeja slices away at a shorter ball from Lyon that races through backward point as McSweeney gives chase and dives to save one run. A reverse sweep from Rahul picks up one more.
40th over: India 136-5 (Rahul 82, Jadeja 23) Another half-life for Rahul as Starc gets the ball to rise sharply towards the ribs. Rahul gets his bat down just in time but the bounce into his feet almost spins back into the stumps. That was only just wide of off-stump. Rahul spins around to pull a single at deep square leg, Jadeja finds another at midwicket, then the opener ends the over with two more from a clip to an empty square leg.
39th over: India 132-5 (Rahul 79, Jadeja 22) Lyon pitches up to Rahul but the opener isn’t tempted to drive on the off-side. Rahul nudges a wider ball to backward point for a single.
38th over: India 131-5 (Rahul 78, Jadeja 22) Starc has Jadeja on the back foot with a ripping bouncer that has the batter swaying late to get out of the way. That’s the biggest sign of life we’ve seen from this pitch since the rain delay but the all-rounder remains. One from the over as Rahul passes the 77 that he made in the first Test in Perth.
37th over: India 130-5 (Rahul 77, Jadeja 22) Lyon has changed ends with an ominous crack opening up roughly in front of middle stump. Jadeja takes a large step forward with his front foot to defend comfortably. Lyon drops short and finds the first hint of bounce but Jadeja rocks back and cuts between point and cover for four.
36th over: India 126-5 (Rahul 77, Jadeja 18) Starc takes over from Lyon who has hardly tested the India batters. The pacer has the ball angling away from the left-hander Jadeja outside off as the all-rounder punches a fuller delivery straight for a couple that bring up the 50-run partnership. A single off the last ball of the over will keep Jadeja on strike.
35th over: India 123-5 (Rahul 77, Jadeja 15) Cummins and Rahul renew their battle. The batter defends a straight and fuller delivery then finds a single at midwicket. Jadeja punches a well-timed straight drive just out of Cummins’ reach and wide of the pile of sawdust. Head gives chase from mid-on with pads and all but even with a late dive can’t quite prevent the boundary.
34th over: India 117-5 (Rahul 76, Jadeja 10) Lyon again around the wicket to Rahul as the first ball drifts too far down leg. The right-hander clubs away around the corner but Marsh is perfectly placed to at least get a hand to the bouncing ball and limit a certain boundary to a single. Lyon finds his range outside off as Jadeja defends on the front foot whenever possible.
33rd over: India 116-5 (Rahul 75, Jadeja 10) Cummins back into the attack after some rest of the rain delay and with Marsh rarely threatening the batters. A cracking straight drive from Rahul off the first ball is heading for the boundary until crashing into a small mountain of sawdust. That costs the India opener a couple of runs. Rahul gloves a shorter ball fine down the leg-side but out of reach of the keeper to pick up the boundary he missed earlier. A nudge to point adds a single in a promising over for Rahul after Cummins had troubled him earlier.
32nd over: India 109-5 (Rahul 68, Jadeja 10) Jadeja opens up with a powerful sweep and finds the gap through square leg to the boundary.
31st over: India 105-5 (Rahul 68, Jadeja 6) Marsh completes the over with a full toss targeted at the stumps and Rahul cracks it straight back at the bowler. The ball cannons into the stumps at the far end and straight to mid-off.
The rain has gone, the sun has returned and both sides are making their way back to the middle at the Gabba. Mitch Marsh has one ball remaining in his over and will bowl to KL Rahul who was perhaps the one Indian unhappy to see the covers come out as he resumes on 68.
Play will resume at 11.25am local time / 12.25 AEDT with India on 105-5. Lunch is now scheduled for 12.45pm in Brisbane. A minimum of 84.1 overs are left in the day, weather depending.
Perhaps of greater concern for Australia is the availability of Josh Hazlewood as the hosts chase 15 wickets likely in limited time to take a 2-1 lead in the series. The Australia camp have just reported that Hazlewood felt an issue with his calf in the warm up today, rather than the side strain that kept him out of the second Test, and he will be taken for scans to assess the severity.
The umpires are on the field discussing the conditions with the ground staff as the covers are slowly being removed. The players look set to be back shortly but in the meantime both sides will have time to reflect on the first hour-and-a-bit of play. Australia impressed early as Pat Cummins in particular threatened – the skipper would have had KL Rahul out first ball of the day if not for Steve Smith grassing a simple chance at second slip. The Australia skipper picked up the wicket of Rohit Sharma soon after but Rahul remains as the India batter looking most likely to keep out the hosts.
31st over: India 105-5 (Rahul 68, Jadeja 6) Rahul’s good fortune continues as he steps onto the front foot to defend an angled delivery from Marsh and takes an edge. The contact is so thick that the ball flies through gully as Rahul swivels his head around to pick up a couple. Marsh works away outside off until the umpires give in to the drizzle that has arrived. The covers are on and play is paused with one ball remaining in the over.
Australia are saying that Hazlewood has not been removed from the action due to a recurrence of the side strain that kept him out of the second Test. But the pacer remains off the field for the time being.
30th over: India 103-5 (Rahul 66, Jadeja 6) Lyon continues around the wicket and Rahul pulls through square leg for a single. Jadeja sweeps to the same area for another run, as Rahul leans back to cut for one more at cover. The India opener is looking especially comfortable now.
29th over: India 100-5 (Rahul 64, Jadeja 5) Double change for Australia as Mitch Marsh replaces Hazlewood after the pacer left the field at the drinks break. Rahul eases a cut shot to backward point for a single while Jadeja again turns the strike over with a quick single at gully. Marsh has overstepped on that one, as he tends to do a bit too often. Rahul finds another single at cover to bring up the 100 for India.
28th over: India 96-5 (Rahul 62, Jadeja 4) Lyon bowls his second over of the match on a green day four deck. Jadeja cuts the first ball for a single, Rahul nudges to the leg-side to add another as Lyon then ties down his fellow spinner.
Some early concern for Australia as Hazlewood, their onfield leaders Cummins and Smith, and the team physio are deep in talks during the drinks break. The pace bowler leaves the field alongside the physio and Nathan Lyon steps out his mark.
Australia have found enough in the pitch to beat the bat and create chances and might be rueing only taking one India wicket from the opening hour. tullyeh asks, “is it possible this pitch is actually greener as the Test goes on with the continuous sprinklings of rain!”
It is hard to remember a greener day four deck and without resorting to side-by-side photos from today and the day one, I’m going to say it does have a heavier hue of green.
27th over: India 94-5 (Rahul 61, Jadeja 3) Hazlewood comes into the attack for Starc and Rahul immediately dispatches a wide one through point to the boundary. Calling that a “loosener” would almost be too kind to the Australia quick. Hazlewood quickly returns to his familiar line and length just outside off as Rahul punches a single to point. That will be drinks after an entertaining first hour.
26th over: India 88-5 (Rahul 56, Jadeja 3) Cummins shows there is plenty of life left in this day four pitch with a short ball that rears up at Rahul who can only get a top edge from the pull shot. The ball falls safely for a single. Jadeja is quickly off strike with a push on the offside, as Cummins resorts to bowling back of a length to Rahul. The opener misses everything with another attempted pull shot then ends the over with a glance off the pads for three.
25th over: India 83-5 (Rahul 52, Jadeja 2) Rahul brings up his second fifty of the series and one that already looms as his most critical. A hard swipe outside off takes a thick edge to fly over slips to the boundary, then a drive through cover picks up three more to take Rahul to his milestone. Steve Smith has time to ponder what might have been after gifting the India opener a life when dropping a simple catch off the first ball of the day.
24th over: India 74-5 (Rahul 45, Jadeja 0) Cummins has beaten the bat several times this morning and finally gets the breakthrough as Rohit edges behind to Carey. First ball to Jadeja sets the tone of what may be to come for the India all-rounder as Cummins digs in a bouncer. Jadeja ducks under that one then keeps out a yorker.
WICKET! Rohit c Carey b Cummins 10 (India 74-5)
Cummins gets the wicket he has deserved this morning and unusually turns it up in the celebration. Rohit dabs with an angled bat as Cummins again targets the fifth stump as an edge flies through to Carey for a simple catch.
23rd over: India 74-4 (Rahul 45, Rohit 10) Cummins causing all kinds of problems again, this time beating Rohit with a leg-cutter much as he had troubled Rahul with earlier. Rohit responds with a punishing square drive to the boundary at deep point.
22nd over: India 66-4 (Rahul 42, Rohit 5) Cummins causing all kinds of problems again, this time beating Rohit with a leg-cutter much as he had troubled Rahul with earlier. Rohit responds with a punishing square drive to the boundary at deep point.
21st over: India 61-4 (Rahul 41, Rohit 1) Another chance! Rahul ends the over with a mis-timed drive to mid-on and there is a delayed call for a single. Rohit is slow off the mark as Hazlewood pounces on the ball and throws to the striker’s end as the India skipper dives across the crease. He looked home but that was another scare for India. One delivery earlier and Rahul plays the shot of the morning so far with a square drive through point to the boundary.
20th over: India 52-4 (Rahul 36, Rohit 1) Cummins with another fast start to the over as the Australia skipper beats Rahul’s bat outside off. That one moved a touch too far away from Rahul off the seam. Cummins gets another to jag back into the India opener and he takes a heavy blow around the hip. Rahul happy to leave a couple more outside off for a maiden over.
19th over: India 52-4 (Rahul 36, Rohit 1) Starc starts to Rahul with a pair of good length deliveries that angle across the right-hander. Rahul fends away a shorter ball for a single. That one reared up at the batter which will only excite the Australia pacers. Rohit gets off the mark with a gentle drive.
18th over: India 52-4 (Rahul 34, Rohit 0) DROPPED! Almost the perfect start for Australia as Pat Cummins finds plenty of bounce out of the deck and takes KL Rahul’s edge on the way through for a regulation chance to Steve Smith at second slip. It arrives at waist height and Smith seems unsure whether to go fingers up or down. The ball bobs straight out of his hands and it is hard to believe that has been grassed. Smith looks devastated.
Pat Cummins has the cherry in hand with KL Rahul resuming on 33 and India skipper Rohit Shama at the non-strikers’ end while yet to score after coming to the crease shortly before the last rain delay on day three.
Virat Kohli was one of the key wickets to fall on day three as the India great continues his battle against Father Time as much as Australia’s pace attack.
Geoff Lemon has written superbly about the gradual decline of the four outstanding batters of recent times and whether Kohli can consistently rediscover something resembling his former glories.
Weather update: Promising signs for Australia with sunny skies overhead as we near the early start of play at 9.50am local time in Brisbane / 10.50am AEDT. But rain is very much forecast throughout the day as well as a high of 29 degrees.
Australia were able to build momentum across a rain-interrupted day three at the Gabba with India already four wickets down. The tourists’ first target today will be reaching 245 to avoid giving Australia the option to enforce the follow-on. But here is how day three played out:
Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the fourth day of the third Test between Australia and India at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Australia made the most of the rain-affected third day to build a strong first-innings total of 445 and tear through the India top order to have them 51-4 at stumps. But the hosts are now in a race against time – and the weather – to claim India’s six remaining first-innings wickets as well as dismiss their entire batting lineup a second time. The star-studded pace trio have threatened in the limited time they have been able to take the ball in hand with opener KL Rahul the only India batter to get set and look particularly comfortable. But as Australia showed in their first knock, once a batter is set and the ball softens, the Gabba can be a good deck for batting. The impact of the stop-start action across the opening days as well as moisture in the air now looms as an added danger for batters, though there are also signs of cracks that will tempt the spinners. We’ll be back with more of a weather and pitch report shortly.
First ball is scheduled to be at 9.50am local time or 10.50pm AEDT. I’ll be covering the first session and a half, when Angus Fontaine will jump into the hot seat. In the meantime, send me an email or find me @martinpegan on Bluesky or X. Let’s get into it!
