AUS vs IND, 3rd Test, Day 5: Rain plays the spoilsport at Brisbane; 3rd Test ends in draw. India and Australia will face each other in Melbourne on December 26.
Brief Score: AUS 445 & 89/7d (P Cummins 22, A Carey 20, J Bumrah 3/18) IND 260 & 8/0 (Y Jaiswal 4*, KL Rahul*) match drawn.
Player of the Match - Travis Head
The inevitable draw was the ultimate result as rain and bad light had the final say in Brisbane. Rain wreaked havoc throughout the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 series, and it had the last laugh with just 2.1 overs bowled in India’s second innings. India managed to draw the Test, retaining 1-1 scoreline for the series, despite being miles behind Australia at one point.
Talking Point: India bowlers find rhythm in Australia’s second innings
The performance of India’s bowlers so far in the series has been one of the biggest positives for the team. Along with Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj also found their rhythm. Deep found ways to convert false shots into wickets, as did Siraj. The India pacers picked up seven wickets between them and played a key role in forcing Australia to an early declaration. They put the hosts on the backfoot in their second innings.
Bumrah took nine wickets in the match, while Siraj and Deep claimed seven wickets between them. With these two providing solid support to Bumrah, India's bowling attack has the potential to be lethal in the upcoming matches of the series.
Read More: AUS vs IND, 3rd Test, Day 4: Rahul 84, Jadeja 77 render life-support; India avoid follow on
India bow out for 260, Australia declare at 89/7 after adventurous batting
The first session was largely washed out, with the only action being the last few overs of India’s innings. The last-wicket stand between Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah swelled to 47 runs off 78 balls before Travis Head ended it by getting Deep stumped early on Day 5. India were thus all out for 260 runs, and Australia started their second innings with a 185-run lead.
India ensured a great start to the second innings after Bumrah and Akash replicated their batting heroics with the ball, picking up four early Australia wickets. The hosts declared their second innings at 89 for the loss of seven wickets before tea, setting India a target of 275 runs for victory.
Bad light forced players off the field after just 2.1 overs of India's second innings, and the umpires called for an early Tea. India's score read 8/0 at the break. However, the Test was eventually called off and ended in a draw as the weather conditions did not improve.
Read More: AUS vs IND, 3rd Test, Day 3: In response to Australia's 445, India reduced to 51-4 on stop-start day
Statistical highlights from Australia vs India, 3rd Test, Day 5
The tenth wicket stand of 47 runs between Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah is the third-highest for this wicket for India against Australia in Australia.
Akash Deep registered the second-highest Test score (31) for an India no. 11 batter in Australia. The highest was Shivlal Yadav’s 41 in Adelaide 1985.
Australia lost their first 5 wickets under 50 runs for the second time in 2024, both times against India.
Jasprit Bumrah registered match figures of 9-94. These are his third-best match figures in Tests.
Jasprit Bumrah (53) went past Kapil Dev (51) in terms of most Test wickets taken by India bowlers in Australia.
What’s Next
The five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series remained tied at 1-1 after three Tests. Australia and India will now lock horns in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The drama continues to build, with the World Test Championship final qualification adding an extra layer of excitement to the fiercest modern-day Test rivalry.
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