Australia 28-0 after rain frustrates India in Gabba test

BRISBANE: Hopes for India to take early wickets proved forlorn as openers from Australia survived a rain-hit opening session of the third test in Brisbane on Saturday.

In the third bout of the series, Australia were 28 for no loss at lunch, with Usman Khawaja unbeaten on 19 and Nathan McSweeney four not out after India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field first.

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With the five-test series poised at 1-1, India’s bowlers, as well as a healthy crowd at the Gabba, were left frustrated as rain allowed only 13.2 overs with the last heavy downpour ending the session about 30 minutes early.

The Gabba pitch had a green tinge on a steamy, overcast morning, promising a stiff examination for Australia’s top order, but that proved not to be the case with the ball doing little off the spongy pitch.

Barring a probing, opening burst by Bumrah, who repeatedly beat Khawaja’s bat, the Indian pacers were culpable of bowling too short.

Khawaja capitalised, smashing Mohammed Siraj to the fence with a couple of sweetly struck pull shots.

India made two changes to the side that lost by 10 wickets in the day-night test in Adelaide, with Ravindra Jadeja replacing spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Akash Deep coming in for struggling paceman Harshit Rana.

Australia made only one change, with quick Josh Hazlewood replacing Scott Boland after recovering from a side injury.

Rohit, whose poor form with the bat has heaped pressure on his captaincy, will continue to bat at number six, with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal retained as the opening combination.

“There’s a lot of grass and it looks a little soft as well so we want to try and make the best use of the conditions and try and see what we can do with the ball up front,” Rohit had said after winning the toss, adding that the mood in the Indian dressing room was “absolutely buzzing”.

“The guys are looking forward to the test match. It’s been always nice to come here and play some really good cricket and yeah, when you talk about how everyone’s feeling, they want to come out here and showcase themselves.”

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Australian captain Pat Cummins was coy on what he would have chosen if he won the toss but by lunch may have felt pleased to have been spared the decision.