Gabba.
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Brisbane: Heavy rains and sharp showers competed with each other to ensure that the first day's play of the third Test lasted no more than 13.2 overs. Australia had moved to 28 for no loss in 13.2 overs when the rain arrived for the second time and with finality here at the Gabba on Saturday.
While Sunday has no forecast for rain, subsequent days are expected to receive showers.
Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first in overcast conditions as India, expectedly, rang in two changes to their side from the previous Test. Akash Deep replaced pacer Harshit Rana while left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja came in for R Ashwin. The inclusion of Jadeja ensured that all three spinners in the squad got their chances in the series.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj did beat the bat on a few occasions but Australian openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney largely remained untroubled. Khawaja looked more comfortable of the two while manufacturing a couple of confident pulls off Siraj who was greeted with boos from the home team supporters.
The first rain break caused a 30-minute stoppage while the second spell, which commenced at 11.50 am, didn't budge. There was a drop in intensity every now and then and completely stopped a couple of times but long enough to resume the play.
The match was eventually called off at 4.14 pm.