BRISBANE, Australia: India’s pace attack triggered another top order batting collapse for Australia as the hosts struggled to 104-3 at lunch on the second day of the third cricket test.Jasprit Bumrah again underlined his stature as the current top-ranked bowler in tests as he tormented Australia’s top-order batters on a Gabba pitch that was offering plenty of assistance for bowlers under patchy cloud-covered skies on Sunday. At the break, Steven Smith was unbeaten on 25, with Travis Head on 20, with the pair coming together when Australia was at a precarious 75-3. After Australia resumed at 28 without loss after rain curtailed the opening day to just 13.2 overs, it didn’t take long Sunday for Bumrah (2-26) to make his mark as, like the first innings in both opening two tests, the seamer’s relentless accuracy and ability to move the ball off the pitch led to early breakthroughs. First, he removed Usman Khawaja caught behind for 21 with a ball that moved late on the veteran opener to have Australia at 31-1. Nathan McSweeney made a patient 9 runs off 49 balls but could do little more than to edge another sharp delivery from Bumrah to Virat Kohli at second slip as Australia slipped to 38-2 in the 19th over.It was the fourth time in the series that Bumrah has claimed McSweeney’s wicket. Smith and Marnus Labuschagne steadily put Australia back on track but Nitish Kumar Reddy teased a wild swipe from Labuschagne (12) which was well caught by Kohli in the slips with the hosts at 75-3. Smith, who has had a wretched run of outs over the past 12 months and has not made a century since the Ashes in mid-2023, looked to be playing himself slowly back into form with a composed 25 from 68 balls. Head, on the back of three first ball ducks in Gabba test matches, provided his usual attacking impetus as he raced to 20 from 35 balls in what shapes as a potentially match defining partnership with Smith for the hosts. Pace bowler Mohammed Siraj — who had a running verbal battle with Head in the second test at Adelaide which led to both players being sanctioned — left the field during his 11th over with an apparent left hamstring injury. The seamer returned to the field prior to the lunch break but did not resume bowling.India won the toss and sent Australia into bat on Saturday, but rain first halted play for about 30 minutes in the sixth over. The showers returned about a half-hour later and washed out the remainder of the opening day.India won the first test by 295 runs at Perth, while Australia came back to win the second day-night test in Adelaide by 10 wickets.
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