Brisbane: A day that started with so much promise at the Gabba ended as a damp squib and the bigger concern is that the forecast for the rest of the Test isn’t great either. In the 13.2 overs bowled on Day 1 of the third Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Australia made their way to 28/0.
With less than 15 overs being bowled, a full refund was in order for the 30,185 fans who turned up, and that explained why they waited so long to abandon play for Saturday. As luck would have it, around 15 minutes after play was called off, the rain stopped. But at least the third Test got off to a start — it was cloudy and grey but there was no rain around in the morning.
And the early enthusiasm of a first-day morning is always about the toss and who will make it to the playing XI. India won the toss and Rohit Sharma elected to bowl on a wicket that Shubman Gill had said looked good for batting. The team list showed that Akash Deep and Ravindra Jadeja had found a place in the eleven.
“It’s overcast. A little bit of grass and it looks a little soft as well, and try and see what we can do with the ball upfront,” said Rohit at the toss. The statistics might also have influenced India’s decision with teams bowling first having won six of the last seven here.
The changes weren’t a complete surprise. Akash Deep had been bowling with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in the same net before the game while Harshit Rana was bowling in an adjacent one. He just looked a yard quicker tha.