<p>Brisbane: It was unclear who was more unhappy with the frequent rain stoppages here at the Gabba on Monday. Indian batters or Australian bowlers? Some might argue, and with reasonable justification, that it's the ground staff who kept running with covers all day to protect the pitch while players ran for cover. </p><p>The third day's proceedings of the third Test were interrupted by rain as many as eight times as Brisbane's weather and Indian batters strived hard to prove who was more fickle-minded. And it was a close finish. </p><p>After allowing Australia, overnight 405/8, to post 445 all out, India saw themselves being reduced to 51/4 in 17 overs as elements intervened throughout. Having prised out opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (4) off the second ball of the innings and Shubman Gill (3) with the first ball of the third over, Australia were smelling blood but the rain kept pouring water on their bid to put a quick full stop to Indian innings. </p>.IND vs Aus 3rd Test: Last three years have been the hardest I've experienced in my career, says Steve Smith.<p>Indian batters wouldn't have been too comfortable with the situation either. Taking fresh guard every 15-20 minutes meant they never really got a chance to fully gauge the pitch, size up the bowlers and suss up the conditions. On the other hand, it kept the Aussie pacers fresh and they kept coming at Indians without any drop in intensity.</p><p>That said the Indian batters showed little game awareness in dishing out one of the most purposeless displays of batsmanship in the little time they got to bat. </p><p>Yashasvi Jaiswal is a great talent and all things being equal, he is going to be a surefire batting great. And while it's understandable that it's his first trip to Australia, by now he should have realised that batting on these surfaces and against such attacks entails a different approach. Having toured South Africa and having played two Tests here already, the left-hander should have known that. Modern-day cricket demands that. </p>.<p>He may get away with the kinds of shots he has got out to here in sub-continental conditions, but over here, you hardly get a second chance. He should have known Mitchell Starc will test him with that inswinging fuller ball -- if you miss it, it will be a shout for lbw. If you hit it, there's a mid-wicket fielder waiting, and Jaiswal picked the lone onside fielder. When this approach is failing repeatedly, you should be able to find an alternative method because Jaiswal's last six first-innings scores read -- 13, 30, 30, 0, 0, 4. What this means is on three occasions, the No. 3 has walked out to bat in the first over. </p><p>If a certain Hall-of-Famer Steve Smith, who knows these conditions like the back of his palm, is humble enough to grind it out, Jaiswal should for sure. It's not like he can't play time though. In Bengaluru on a seaming wicket where they were rolled over for 46 by New Zealand in the first innings, he ground out a 63-ball 13. It's just a little tweak in the mindset. </p>.IND vs AUS 3rd Test: Batters need to perform better .<p>Smith's interaction with the media on Sunday evening was instructive. He drew attention to the changes in the Kookaburra red ball and wickets going greener since 2021 that have had a direct impact on batting -- both negative and positive.</p><p>While the more pronounced seam facilitates more movement and extra bounce, it also keeps the ball harder for longer than it used to before 2021. But if you see through those first 10-20 overs, it becomes easier to score as well and the ball remains hard.</p><p>It's a simple yet crucial piece of knowledge to have when a team wants to build an innings. Given this situation, the top three need to bat more responsibly so that the batters coming after them can build on that platform. It's a template Australia followed in the first innings, and India would do well to follow it. So far, only KL Rahul has done so. </p>.<p>This brings us to Shubman Gill who has been more flashy than necessary. His Aussie counterpart Marnus Labuschagne consumed 55 balls for his 12. It was boring, and while he would have liked to carry on, he had seen the new ball off by then and had left the bowlers reasonably tired on a hot and humid day on Sunday for the strokemakers to come and feast.</p><p>Gill demanded and got the No. 3 slot but he can't abdicate the responsibilities of that position. He should be willing to look boring in order to benefit the team. </p>
<p>Brisbane: It was unclear who was more unhappy with the frequent rain stoppages here at the Gabba on Monday. Indian batters or Australian bowlers? Some might argue, and with reasonable justification, that it's the ground staff who kept running with covers all day to protect the pitch while players ran for cover. </p><p>The third day's proceedings of the third Test were interrupted by rain as many as eight times as Brisbane's weather and Indian batters strived hard to prove who was more fickle-minded. And it was a close finish. </p><p>After allowing Australia, overnight 405/8, to post 445 all out, India saw themselves being reduced to 51/4 in 17 overs as elements intervened throughout. Having prised out opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (4) off the second ball of the innings and Shubman Gill (3) with the first ball of the third over, Australia were smelling blood but the rain kept pouring water on their bid to put a quick full stop to Indian innings. </p>.IND vs Aus 3rd Test: Last three years have been the hardest I've experienced in my career, says Steve Smith.<p>Indian batters wouldn't have been too comfortable with the situation either. Taking fresh guard every 15-20 minutes meant they never really got a chance to fully gauge the pitch, size up the bowlers and suss up the conditions. On the other hand, it kept the Aussie pacers fresh and they kept coming at Indians without any drop in intensity.</p><p>That said the Indian batters showed little game awareness in dishing out one of the most purposeless displays of batsmanship in the little time they got to bat. </p><p>Yashasvi Jaiswal is a great talent and all things being equal, he is going to be a surefire batting great. And while it's understandable that it's his first trip to Australia, by now he should have realised that batting on these surfaces and against such attacks entails a different approach. Having toured South Africa and having played two Tests here already, the left-hander should have known that. Modern-day cricket demands that. </p>.<p>He may get away with the kinds of shots he has got out to here in sub-continental conditions, but over here, you hardly get a second chance. He should have known Mitchell Starc will test him with that inswinging fuller ball -- if you miss it, it will be a shout for lbw. If you hit it, there's a mid-wicket fielder waiting, and Jaiswal picked the lone onside fielder. When this approach is failing repeatedly, you should be able to find an alternative method because Jaiswal's last six first-innings scores read -- 13, 30, 30, 0, 0, 4. What this means is on three occasions, the No. 3 has walked out to bat in the first over. </p><p>If a certain Hall-of-Famer Steve Smith, who knows these conditions like the back of his palm, is humble enough to grind it out, Jaiswal should for sure. It's not like he can't play time though. In Bengaluru on a seaming wicket where they were rolled over for 46 by New Zealand in the first innings, he ground out a 63-ball 13. It's just a little tweak in the mindset. </p>.IND vs AUS 3rd Test: Batters need to perform better .<p>Smith's interaction with the media on Sunday evening was instructive. He drew attention to the changes in the Kookaburra red ball and wickets going greener since 2021 that have had a direct impact on batting -- both negative and positive.</p><p>While the more pronounced seam facilitates more movement and extra bounce, it also keeps the ball harder for longer than it used to before 2021. But if you see through those first 10-20 overs, it becomes easier to score as well and the ball remains hard.</p><p>It's a simple yet crucial piece of knowledge to have when a team wants to build an innings. Given this situation, the top three need to bat more responsibly so that the batters coming after them can build on that platform. It's a template Australia followed in the first innings, and India would do well to follow it. So far, only KL Rahul has done so. </p>.<p>This brings us to Shubman Gill who has been more flashy than necessary. His Aussie counterpart Marnus Labuschagne consumed 55 balls for his 12. It was boring, and while he would have liked to carry on, he had seen the new ball off by then and had left the bowlers reasonably tired on a hot and humid day on Sunday for the strokemakers to come and feast.</p><p>Gill demanded and got the No. 3 slot but he can't abdicate the responsibilities of that position. He should be willing to look boring in order to benefit the team. </p>