Jackson Barrett: Australia missed a chance to start taking 20 wickets on wet third morning of Brisbane Test

People that have played a lot of cricket in Queensland say that first thing in the morning is the best time to bowl at the Gabba. Australia shirked that opportunity on Monday, the third day of the Brisbane Test against India, to score 40 runs at 2.5 per over across more than an hour. For all they did right with the bat in this Test, particularly the stunning return to form of Steve Smith, they might have missed a trick by not declaring on Sunday evening or overnight. Smith and Travis Head lifted their run-rate to above five-an-over in the middle of day two, but that plummeted back down on Monday as Alex Carey tried to nurse the tail through the morning. They batted right up until the rain truly played havoc with the day and had only started their 15th over with the ball when rain ended play early. It means the draw has rocketed into favouritism in this Test match, which would send the carnival to Melbourne at 1-1. Australia would need to take 20 wickets in two days, with showers forecast for Tuesday and storms tipped for Wednesday. But perhaps the carrot should have been dangled in front of India to try and make a game of it. Rohit Sharma’s side must win this Test and the next two to guarantee their spot in the World Test Championship final. It means they either have something to play for, or at least have to make a call on how much they care about getting back to that showpiece match. Australia rocked through India’s top-order for the fourth time in five innings this series. Sure hindsight is helpful, but they might have been able to make better use of a pretty good forecast to set the match up for themselves. They’re a good chance to take the 16 remaining wickets across the next two days, but that just isn’t entirely in their hands anymore. The most reliable member of India’s batting unit is KL Rahul, who is at the crease, but the Aussie quicks will ask serious questions of captain Sharma in difficult conditions across the next two days. Smith, Head and Carey made this wicket look easier to navigate and Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins could be lethal on a track with plenty of sideways movement. There is a growing possibility Australia leaves Brisbane having dominated what cricket was played, but walk away from an opportunity to win the match.