Rain wipes out entire second session of third Test

AFP/APP

Brisbane: Heavy rain in Brisbane led to the cancellation of the entire second session of the third Test between Australia and India at the Gabba on Saturday, with the hosts at 28-0.

Only 13.2 overs were bowled before lunch, and no further play was possible before tea. At one point, the outfield resembled a lake. However, as the weather eased, the water drained away quickly, leaving only a few small areas still affected.

Despite the improvement in conditions, the rain continued throughout the session, as a large band moved slowly across the greater Brisbane area. Usman Khawaja was 19 not out, and Nathan McSweeney was on four after India’s captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field.

After a week of rain in Brisbane, Rohit would have hoped for plenty of movement from his opening bowlers, but they struggled to find their rhythm. Jasprit Bumrah, in particular, seemed down on pace early, while Mohammed Siraj was equally unthreatening.

However, Akash Deep eventually found the right length with movement in the air and off the wicket, troubling McSweeney. Despite this, much heavier rain forced players off the field for the second time 35 minutes later.

The five-match series remains evenly poised, with India thrashing Australia in the first Test in Perth, and Australia securing a similarly dominant win in Adelaide. As expected, Australia made a change, bringing back Josh Hazlewood for Scott Boland after Hazlewood recovered from a side strain.

India made two changes, dropping spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and fast bowler Harshit Rana in favor of Ravindra Jadeja and Deep.