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India and Australia saw over two-and-half sessions washed out on the opening day at the Gabba.
Rain played spoil-sport at Gabba on Saturday.
The build-up and anticipation around the third Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy was quickly doused as rain washed out over two-and-half sessions on the opening day at the Gabba in Brisbane. Only 13.2 overs were bowled in the day and the Australian openers survived them with aplomb, scoring 28 runs at 2.1 runs/over.
Rain started interrupting play at around 10:45 local time (06:15 IST). The match resumed after an initial spell but it came back heavier an hour later and didn’t relent till it became impossible for the groundstaff to get the Gabba ready for any more play.
Day 2 will now resume half an hour early with a maximum of 98 overs to be bowled to make up lost time. The remaining days will also likely see early starts.
In the short period, left-hander Usman Khawaja hit three the boundaries and remained not out at 19 (47) and was well-supported by the rock-solid Nathan McSweeney, 4 (33). For India, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj struggled for consistency and couldn’t find as much swing as they’d have expected after Rohit Sharma opted to bowl at the toss.
“We’re going to bowl first. A little bit overcast and a little bit of grass, looks a bit soft as well, we want to make the best use of the conditions,” the skipper said at the toss. “Lots of cricket to be played, both teams have played good cricket in the last two games. Big game for us here, we’ll do what is expected of us.”
Akash Deep, who replaced Harshit Rana in India’s lineup, was a small silver lining as he bowled two maidens in his 3.2 overs and conceded just two runs overall. His control of the red cherry was a breath of fresh air after Harshit’s struggles with the pink ball in Adelaide.
Left-arm spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja also returned to the lineup, replacing Ravichandran Ashwin, who could pick up just one wicket in Adelaide.
The weather forecast for Sunday is much better but intermittent showers are still expected in the morning. A minor flood warning in the area will also extend to the second day’s morning from Saturday.
- Location :
Brisbane, Australia
