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Hello and welcome to Guerilla Cricket’s live blog of the third Test between India and Australia. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is deliciously poised at 1-1, and the the Gabba Test has entered the fifth day due to multiple rain interruptions. With India managing to avoid the follow-on and more rain on the cards in Brisbane a result is unlikely but cricket is an unpredictable game so you never know. We’ll bring you all the important updates as the race for the World Test Championship final heats up!
The Gabba Test has ended in a stalemate with India 8 for no loss in 2.1 overs.
Just 22 overs possible on day five. A shame, because we witnessed some frenzy and a declaration from Australia that set things up deliciously for a thriller of a home stretch. Rain always loomed large though and the weather has proven to be a buzzkill.
In all, just 216.1 overs were sent down over five days at the Gabba. We had a lot of riveting cricket in those overs, but unfortunately the game was robbed off the grandstand finish it was beckoning. We hope you enjoyed this live blog, and the feature Aryan Surana wrote on KL Rahul, who has time and again chosen the unglamorous route to success in away Tests.
Australia have declared following a mini-assault by Pat Cummins. They have given themselves a touch over three hours – light and weather permitting – to try and dismiss India in the second innings. The hosts were proactive in their approach but India kept chipping away at the wickets, with Bumrah returning match figures of 9/94.
India need 275 runs to win the Brisbane Test. They’ll be fortunate to face more than 40 overs given the overhead conditions. Australia have three fit bowlers, Mitch Marsh and Travis Head can chip in as well, but a lot will depend on Starc, Cummins and Lyon if they’re to pull off an improbable victory.
For the better part of this game, India were never in the hunt to secure a win, they’ve now being set a steep target, the notorious weather is adding to the drama, will they fancy a chase? Or will they play possum and prefer a 1-1 scoreline heading into the Boxing day Test?
India have opted for a light roller as Jaiswal and Rahul walk out to bat.
Mitchell Marsh endures another failure in this series while Steve Smith has been strangled down the leg, having danced down the track on the previous delivery to thump Siraj over mid-off. The ace batter, who goes a long way across the crease, was dismissed in a similar manner in Adelaide.
Australia are deep in trouble now, their lead placed at 218, a figure that could prompt India to think that they might fancy a chase if the hosts can somehow be limited under 250.
Marnus Labuschagne and Nathan McSweeney fall to identical shots – going after the short and wide length ball – to leave Australia in a spot of bother. What a magnificient start India have had here, a couple more wickets can really open up the game. Specially that of Travis Head, who has scored nearly 400 runs in the ongoing BGT.
Can’t keep Jasprit Bumrah away from the action! The Indian pace spearhead troubled Nathan McSweeney with his inward angle and has managed to breach the defences of Usman Khawaja to rock Australia early. The left-hander’s batting technique and approach revolves around minimal feet movement but that proved to be his downfall on this occasion as he drove on the up with the frontfoot rooted to the crease. Huge gap between the bat and pad as the cherry sneaks in to bludgeon the sticks.
There is simply no stopping Jasprit Bumrah!#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/rQ5Btkk4Cq
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2024
The overnight pair of Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep nudged the partnership to 47 runs, helping India possibly avoid defeat and being a thorn in Australia’s flesh. As of now, a minimum of 92 overs are left in the Test and Australia will have to move the game forward if they’re to clinch an improbable victory.
Will they look to bat for the remainder of the first session, score at warp speed and then ask India to negotiate two sessions of play? That looks an ideal strategy for now, but they’ll have an eye on the weather and they wouldn’t want to bowl their 3-men bowling attack into the ground. Hazlewood is out injured, Mitchell Marsh has done a modicum of bowling and that has left Starc and Cummins handling the lion’s share of the workload, with Nathan Lyon tying up one end. We’ll be back shortly for Australia’s batting, weather permitting.
