BGT 3rd Test: Unrelenting rain in Brisbane forces Day 1 to be called off after just 13.2 overs

Relentless rain in Brisbane forced the opening day of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) between India and Australia to be called off on Saturday. At the end of Day 1, Australia's scoreboard remained at 28/0, with Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney unbeaten with scores of 19(47) and 4(33).

"Play for Day 1 in Brisbane has been stopped today due to rain. Play will resume tomorrow and all following days at 09:50 AM local time (5:20 AM IST) with minimum 98 overs to be bowled," BCCI wrote on X.

On the first day of the highly anticipated match, where fans turned up in numbers to witness the spectacle, rain played spoilsport. Throughout the day, just 13.2 overs could be bowled. Initially, the overcast conditions suggested signs of rain on the opening day, and it certainly had a lot of say by restricting the first session to just 13.2 overs. After that, not a single over could be bowled for the rest of the day.

India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and invited Australia to bat, looking to make the most of the gloomy skies hovering over The Gabba. The first time the weather gods made their presence felt was in the middle of the sixth over. The drizzle came down with enough intensity to bring the covers out and halt the play.

Rain once again made an appearance in the 14th over, which forced the players to get off the field and find cover. It lasted long enough to bring an end to the first session. Jasprit Bumrah bowled in tandem with Mohammed Siraj while looking for an early breakthrough. However, the star pace duo struggled for consistency, which allowed Australians to grow in confidence.

Runs were scarce as Australia's opening duo of Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney navigated through the opening spell with ease. Minimum questions were asked, and a couple of appeals were heard, but the duo remained at ease in the first 13.2 overs. India started to find momentum after the introduction of Akash Deep. The right-arm seamer missed the opening two Tests and was included in place of Harshit Rana.

He made Khawaja and McSweeney uncomfortable with his inward-angling deliveries. He initially bowled alongside Bumrah and then looked to make inroads with Siraj. His deliveries were sharp and nipped back in with a touch of lethalness to it. McSweeney was almost at the receiving end when the ball almost came back in but marginally missed the stumps.

Brief Scores: Australia 28/0 (Usman Khawaja 19*, Nathan McSweeney 4*) vs India. (ANI)