Local hero Usman Khawaja and youthful Nathan McSweeney demonstrated excellent defensive technique against Jasprit Bumrah. Still, continuous rain wreaked havoc on the first day of the third Test, enabling only 13.2 overs of play in which Australia scored 28 without loss against India in Brisbane on Saturday. The dreary weather prevented any action following the rain-shortened first session.
The weather in Brisbane forecasts a start-stop game over the next four days. Khawaja (19 batting, 47 balls) and McSweeney (4 batting, 33 balls) matched aggression with prudence, but the veteran left-hander hit a few of boundaries when Mohammed Siraj pitched it short.
While India’s skipper Rohit Sharma would be pleased that Australia scored only a few runs, his bowlers did not press the opposition openers to play more deliveries. Many deliveries were left unfinished due to their length.
Just as the Indian assault appeared to be finding its rhythm, the heavens opened up, halting the bowling momentum. Bumrah (0/8 in 6 overs) had his least effective opening stint of the series thus far.
Despite the cloudy circumstances and plenty of bounce, he didn’t bowl many wicket-taking deliveries in that six-over first period, whilst Siraj (0/13 in 4 overs) was prone to pitching it short.
In the case of Bumrah, he pitched it correctly, but the heavy humidity provided very little swing, and he was only able to square up Khawaja on a few occasions when coming around the wicket. Most of the lines they bowled strayed towards the leg side. With few probing questions posed, Australia reached 19 without losing in the first 25 minutes before the persistent precipitation ended play.
While McSweeney fought tenaciously, Khawaja did lift Siraj for a boundary before the break and added another when the game began. Before the first break, even Bumrah pitched more offerings behind of length, allowing batters to leave them easily, relying on the surface’s bounce.