Preamble

Martin Pegan

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the first day of the third Test between Australia and India. The scene is set for a thriller after a couple of thrashings went either way as the tourists took an early lead in the series in Perth then Australia bounced back in Adelaide.

Both sides have a history of success in Brisbane, where the third Test will be played at the Gabba. Australia did not lose at their home fortress for more than 30 years until stunned by an injury-plagued India the last time they met here. A loss to West Indies earlier this year was even more of a shock.

Josh Hazlewood will be a welcome addition to the Australia XI at a venue where his natural bounce can turn into a weapon. Scott Boland is the unfortunate pace bowler to make way, as he has so many times before, despite taking five wickets in the win at the Adelaide Oval. While Australia will have their full array of quicks, their batting remains the concern and all eyes will be on Steve Smith as the No 4 has his latest shot at breaking out of a form slump.

India are in a similar position with their attack centred around the at-times unplayable Jasprit Bumrah. The 31-year-old is under an injury cloud after suffering groin soreness in Adelaide but is expect to be named in Brisbane. The tourists’ batting lineup has been feast or famine with captain Rohit Sharma standing out as the player most in need of runs, perhaps from his more familiar role at the top of the order.

First ball will be at 10:20am local time or 11:20pm AEDT. I’ll be seeing us through the first session and a half, when Jonathan Howcroft will take the reins. The toss and confirmation of the teams are coming shortly. Get in touch with any comments, questions, thoughts and predictions – shoot me an email or find me @martinpegan on Bluesky or X. Let’s get into it!