- India is on the ropes at the Gabba
- Persistent rain has deprived Australia of valuable bowling time
- An important decision may need to be made to ensure victory.
Pat Cummins may need to break the mold and enforce the follow-on for a second time if Australia are to take a 2-1 series lead in the third Test at the Gabba.
India fell early at 4-51 on Monday night after spending most of the third day fighting for survival in response to Australia’s first innings 445.
After the first day was almost completely washed out and seven rain delays interrupted Monday’s game, more rain is forecast for the final two days.
That could mean Australia need to be creative to find a path to victory.
Australia have imposed tracking only once during Cummins’ time as captain, in a similarly rain-affected match at the SCG last year.
Aside from that, Cummins has turned down the opportunity to do so four times, and even indicated that the follow-up was all but dead during a press conference in 2022.
Pat Cummins has been reluctant to call a continuation in the past but may have to do so to save the match in rainy Brisbane.
Rohit Sharma and his Indian team are on the ropes in Brisbane and need to work hard to save the tie.
Steve Smith also took advantage of the opportunity twice more, as he replaced Cummins as captain at Adelaide in 2021 and 2022.
But Brisbane looms as the most obvious opportunity, if Australia are to beat India for 245 or less.
Prolonged rain delays mean the bowlers’ workload is naturally managed with several breaks, while there is no time left for India to build a difficult target in the final innings.
“With two days left, I think there’s still plenty of time to get a result,” said all-rounder Mitch Marsh.
‘We’ll see how it goes over the next two days.
‘When they send you and you earn 450, it’s always positive. You earn the right to attack early with the ball.
‘Now it’s just about how we try to take 20 wickets. We have six more left to get and we’ll just evaluate from there.
Australia, however, believe they have all the aces after Mitchell Starc took two wickets in the first two overs on Monday to leave India 2-6 early.
Josh Hazlewood also bagged a wicket and Cummins another, with India’s top order in trouble.
With almost no chance of losing the game, Australia can continue to hunt for wickets, and three of Monday’s four came from taking the lead off an Indian batsman.
“You get comfortable being pushed to the boundaries to bring those balls that hit the stumps,” Starc told ABC radio.
‘We look at some of the numbers of the Indian attack and there are not many balls reaching the stumps.
“Naturally, I play longer than Josh and Pat, but I think there’s a conscious effort here… to throw it a little bit more, bring the drives, bring the edge.”