Top-order failure leaves India in the doldrums

 

Kohli was out nicking off once again

Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood left India in disarray on the third morning of the Brisbane Test after Australia pushed their total to 445. In a stop-start session affected by frequent drizzles, the visitors were reduced to 22 for 3 with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli sent back to the sheds for single-digit scores.

After a third spell of rain delayed the start of India's first innings, Starc accounted for Jaiswal again, this time with his second delivery. The mode of the dismissal though might have yet to be planned for as India's young southpaw flicked a full ball straight to the fielder placed in front of the square. Mitchell Marsh then pulled off a superb catch at Gully as Gill looked to drive Starc without quite getting his balance right while moving forward.

Kohli suffered near misses in his short stay as he was beaten on the drive and then hurried by a short ball. His 16-ball stay ended in a rather familiar manner as he went after a Hazlewood ball on the sixth stump line and feathered an edge to the 'keeper. Another spell of rain then brought a sorry end to the session for India, who now face an uphill battle to save the Test despite all the lost time.

Earlier, Australia added 40 runs to their overnight score of 405 in a little over an hour before India took the last of the three remaining wickets. After a five-minute delay to start proceedings because of rain, Alex Carey completed a 53-ball half-century with a well-swept boundary off Ravindra Jadeja. Starc swung a six and a four before nicking off against Jasprit Bumrah, giving India's bowling leader his sixth wicket of the innings. That also took Bumrah's Test tally in Australia to 50 wickets, a feat only Kapil Dev had achieved for India before.

The next 10 overs, either side of another 14-minute rain delay, brought only 22 runs with Australia happy to bide their time in a bid for a bat-once total. India spread their field out for Carey and used the period to manage Bumrah's workload, taking him off the attack after a three-over spell. Eventually, Mohammed Siraj bowled a full delivery. He breached Nathan Lyon's defences before Akash Deep had Carey caught at deep mid-wicket for 70 with a short ball for his only wicket at the end of 29.5 overs of toil.