Australia staged a middle-order fightback to pass 400 against India on the second day of the third Test in Brisbane.
Steve Smith broke out of a form slump with a drought-hit century and Travis Head struck another as Australia were posted for 405 for 7 on the second day of the third Test against India in Brisbane. We broke a big 100 year mark.
Smith fended off questions about his place in the team with a hard-earned 101, while Head marched on with a thrilling 152 to the delight of most of the crowd of 34,227 at the Gabba on Sunday.
“It was good to go in, it felt good,” said Smith, who scored his 33rd Test century and first since Lord’s in the 2023 Ashes.
“I missed it for a while now, but I’m glad I got the third spot again.”
It took Jasprit Bumrah to salvage something from India’s difficult day, and the pace spearhead took three wickets after tea to end the day with his 12th five-wicket haul.
With the new ball, he removed all-rounder Mitchell Marsh (5) and Head in quick succession after Smith edged Rohit in the slips to break his 241 partnership with Head.
But Bumrah’s bravery quickly amplified India’s dependence on the star.
Recalled pacer Akash Deep and spinner Ravindra Jadeja were wicketless, while seamer Mohammed Siraj spent time off the field after clutching his hamstring when bowling in the morning.
Alex Carey was unbeaten at 45 and Mitchell Starc was at stumps at 7 to push Australia to 400.
a challenging wicket
It was Head and Smith’s day. The former scored 140 runs in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide while the latter scored his 10th century against India.
Hitting deep for a single off his pads, Smith ended his longest winning streak without a hundred and brought the Gabba crowd to its feet. The 35-year-old gave the Australian team a cold look and kissed the crest on their helmets.
Head rushed to triple figures, and in the final minutes before tea, he hit a Bumrah full toss for three to bring up his ninth Test century, taking him past 150 at the pace of almost a ball.
“I’m excited to come out and start again and build good partnerships and contribute to what it is today,” Head said.
“It’s a good wicket… it was challenging. They bowled pretty well.”
Siraj got some late compensation when Australian skipper Pat Cummins made 20 but looked well short of his best.
Head and Smith were allowed to bat throughout the middle session, giving credit to India’s efforts in the morning.
Rohit Sharma’s men shared the points until lunch, taking early wickets after bowling just 13.2 overs on a rain-affected first day.
Australia resumed play on 28 without conceding a run, with Bumrah striking with the seventh ball of the morning and opener Usman Khawaja on 21. He removed Nathan McSweeney for 9 in the next over.
Siraj, who was booed for dismissing Head in Adelaide, continued his antics as he switched bails past attacking batsman Marnus Labuschagne.
Labuschagne defiantly brought them back but were soon put out for 12 by Virat Kohli after a loose drive to relief bowler Nitish Kumar Reddy.
With rain forecast for the final three days, India have virtually no chance of winning the match and can realistically only hope for a draw.
