Brisbane: Atrocious shot selection by the top-order batters, including Virat Kohli, left India reeling at 48 for four at tea on a rain-marred day three of the third Test against Australia here Monday.
Left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc struck twice and Josh Hazlewood once as India took lunch at 22 for three after Australia racked up 445 in their first innings.
Pat Cummins got the big wicket of Rishabh Pant in the second session to make things worse for the Indians.
Rahul was batting on 30 at tea break, while skipper Rohit Sharma was yet to open his account.
Returning to the middle after the lunch break, Rahul and Pant negotiated a hostile spell of fast bowling from the duo of Starc and Hazlewood before heavy showers once again interrupted the proceedings.
Cummins kept three slips and a gully for Pant, as opposed to the four men in the slip cordon and a gully for Rahul, when Hazlewood was operating.
Starc had three slips, and two gullies when he the red cherry in his hand.
The only fielder in front of the wicket during that phase of play in the second session was the man stationed at mid-off, reflecting the Australian bowlers’ dominance.
Starc removed Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second ball of the India innings and then dismissed Shubman Gill before Hazlewood accounted for the wicket of Kohli as the visitors stared down the barrel of another poor outing with the bat after their failures in Adelaide.
Jaiswal was out caught by Mitchell Marsh at short midwicket while he tried to clip a Starc half-volley off his pads.
Gill was sent back when Marsh pulled off a brilliant catch in the slip cordon off the bowling of Starc after the India number three played away from the body.
Kohli was dismissed in what has now become a familiar scene as he once again chased a length delivery outside off before nicking it to Alex Carey.
Starc too had a hand in the wicket of Kohli. After KL Rahul pulled a short ball from Hazlewood to long leg, Starc dived to save what seemed like a certain boundary, bringing the former Indian captain back on strike. Kohli was dismissed off the very next delivery
The Australians were aware of Starc’s contribution and some of them were seen running up to the left-arm pacer to celebrate the big wicket with him.
This was after Hazlewood delivered a full-length ball outside off-stump to Kohli, who, instead of leaving the ball, attempted a drive and resulting in an outside edge.
This is the fourth time Kohli has been dismissed in such a fashion.
Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah (6/76) continued to do the heavy lifting as Australia added 40 runs to their overnight score of 405 for seven.
Carey played a fine innings of 70 before becoming the last man to get out.
With two slips and a gully, Bumrah started the proceedings with a 21-over old ball and began with a maiden.
Batting on 45 overnight, Carey swept a Ravindra Jadeja delivery for a boundary towards fine-leg to reach his half-century off just 53 balls.
Bumrah came back to bowl another maiden over before Mitchell Starc decided to get down on one knee to slog sweep Jadeja for a six over square leg.
For someone who is known for keeping one end tight with his accurate bowling, Jadeja was going at five runs an over, and the seasoned left-arm spinner’s profligacy put additional burden on a strained pace attack.
The surface at Gabba offered a bit of turn and bounce but Jadeja was guilty of bowling too straight to the left-handers.
Showing intent to score his runs quickly, Starc hit Bumrah over mid-wicket for a boundary, but four balls later, the Indian pace spearhead induced a faint edge from the blade of the pacer and it went through to Pant.
It was Bumrah’s sixth wicket of the innings, 18th of the series and 50th on Australian shores.
Mohammed Siraj bowled Nathan Lyon after he played down the wrong line.
Akash Deep, who failed to enter his name in the wicket’s column despite troubling the likes of centurions Travis Head and Steve Smith on the second day, was finally rewarded for his toil as he had Carey caught in the deep to signal the end of Australian first innings.
