Rain led to the abandonment of play on the first day of the third Test between Australia and India at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Australia finished the day on 28-0, with Usman Khawaja on 19 not out and Nathan McSweeney on four. India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to field.
Only 13.2 overs were bowled during the first session, and no further play occurred, disappointing the large crowd at the venue. At one point, the outfield resembled a lake, but as the rain eased, the water drained quickly, leaving only a few small affected areas.
Despite the improving weather, persistent rain forced umpires to call off play midway through the final session. Play will begin 30 minutes earlier for the remaining four days, with a minimum of 98 overs to be bowled each day. While the forecast is more promising for Sunday, additional rain is predicted for early next week.
Rohit Sharma had expected plenty of movement from his bowlers after a week of rain in Brisbane, but his opening bowlers struggled. Jasprit Bumrah appeared to be down on pace, and Mohammed Siraj was equally ineffective.
Rain arrived 25 minutes into play, causing a half-hour delay, and when play resumed, Akash Deep found his length, troubling McSweeney. However, after 35 minutes, heavier rain forced the players off the field for the second time.
The series remains evenly poised, with India winning the first Test in Perth and Australia claiming an equally dominant victory in Adelaide. Australia made a change to their line-up, bringing back Josh Hazlewood for Scott Boland after Hazlewood recovered from a side strain. India made two changes, dropping spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and fast bowler Harshit Rana, and replacing them with Ravindra Jadeja and Deep.
