Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Third Test, Brisbane (day four of five)

Australia 445: Head 152, Smith 101, Carey 70; Bumrah 6-76

India 252-9: Rahul 84, Jadeja 77; Cummins 4-80

Australia lead by 193 runs

Scorecard

India battled hard to successfully avoid the follow-on against Australia and leave the third Test in Brisbane looking destined to be drawn.

The tourists were reduced to 213-9 on a rain-affected fourth day, needing 33 more to make Australia bat again.

However, last-wicket pair Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep played superbly and an upper cut for four from the latter took them past the follow-on mark.

That sparked celebrations from the batters as well as in the India changing room, where Virat Kohli was seen high-fiving team-mates and coaches.

Australia had taken three wickets for 19 runs to set up the follow-on possibility, but the absence of seamer Josh Hazlewood – who is likely to miss the rest of the series with a calf injury – was felt as Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc tired.

KL Rahul, who was dropped from the first ball of the day by Steve Smith, made 84 and Ravindra Jadeja 77.

The five-match series is level at 1-1 after Australia’s 10-wicket win in Adelaide last week.

India must win at least two of the final three Tests to guarantee a place in June’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s.

Defending champions Australia will reach the final if they win two of the remaining Tests. They also have another series against Sri Lanka to achieve qualification.

Rain has played a key part in this game, and it did so again for large periods of day four.

An hour was lost in the morning session while the extended afternoon session was delayed and then interrupted twice.

It meant time was being taken out of the game for the hosts, but also allowed Cummins and Starc to stay relatively fresh and come back in each session of play.

Cummins in particular was superb and hostile, as India struggled to deal with his canny changes in length.

The tourists were looking settled when Nitish Kumar Reddy and Jadeja had shared 53 for the seventh wicket, but Cummins got the former to drag on and that opened the door.

Siraj soon fell and Jadeja, looking to increase the scoring, holed out to square leg to make the follow-on a real possibility.

It is unknown if Australia would have enforced it with Hazlewood’s injury, but with the time taken out of the game already and the possibility of further rain on Wednesday, it seems highly likely they would have.

However, the option was taken off the table by the brilliance of Bumrah (10 not out) and in particular Deep (27 not out).

The pair were able to work singles almost at will, as Australia set attacking fields, before Deep’s bit of bravery took them beyond the target required.

With the pressure released, he then carted Cummins into the second tier over mid-wicket, before the umpires decided the light was not good enough to continue.

The unbroken stand of 39 has likely saved the game for India and they will hope that, having been completely outplayed in this game and in the second Test, momentum will now swing in their favour.