Brisbane [Australia], December 14 (ANI): The opening day of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) between India and Australia was called off due to persistent rain in Brisbane.
At the end of Day 1, Australia stood at 28/0, with Usman Khawaja on 19* (47 balls) and Nathan McSweeney on 4* (33 balls).
“Play for Day 1 in Brisbane has been stopped today due to rain. Play will resume tomorrow at 09:50 AM local time (5:20 AM IST) with a minimum of 98 overs to be bowled,” the BCCI confirmed on X.
The much-anticipated match, which attracted many spectators, was heavily impacted by the weather. Only 13.2 overs were bowled before rain interrupted play, with no further overs possible throughout the rest of the day.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl, hoping to take advantage of the overcast conditions at The Gabba. However, rain arrived mid-way through the sixth over, forcing a break. A second downpour in the 14th over halted play for good, ending the first session prematurely.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj opened the bowling for India, but despite their best efforts, they were unable to find the breakthrough as Australia’s opening pair settled in. Khawaja and McSweeney navigated the initial spell with relative ease, facing minimal challenges, though a few appeals were made.
India found some momentum after Akash Deep was introduced. Returning to the side after missing the first two Tests, Deep’s sharp, inward-moving deliveries troubled the Australian openers. McSweeney was nearly undone by one such delivery, which narrowly missed the stumps.
Brief Scores: Australia 28/0 (Usman Khawaja 19*, Nathan McSweeney 4*) vs India.