Border Gavaskar Trophy: 3 major concerns to look at in the India vs Australia 3rd Test

India chances of making it into the World Test Championship final are hanging by a thread but that surely wouldn’t be running through their mind, especially after having lost the second Test in Adelaide. The immediate target will be to win the third Test, scheduled in Gabba from 14th to 18th December 2024. 

The last time when India played a Test here, they scripted history as India became the first team to beat Australia at The Gabba in over 32 years. With that, they also won the series 2-1.  The line-up is a lot different now and Australia have stolen the momentum from them. There is no denying that there are plenty of concerns in the Indian dugout heading into the third Test. In this article, let's explore three important aspects that they must focus on. 

Border-Gavaskar Trophy: 3 major concerns to look at ahead of Gabba Test 

1. Runs from the top-order 

In the last Test series against New Zealand, the Indian openers had scored just a single fifty-plus partnership across six innings. Rohit Sharma’s lack of runs in Tests has become a massive concern for the team. He scored just 91 runs across three Tests at an average of 15. In the series prior to New Zealand, he also failed to deliver in two Tests against Bangladesh.

Rohit Sharma’s downfall has taken a major toll on India’s performance. With the kind of form he is in, it would be better for him to play at number six, at least, for the time being. He missed out on the Perth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 and KL Rahul opened with Yashasvi Jaiswal. They put on a game-changing 201-run partnership and it proved pivotal to India’s win in the first Test. 

However, the duo couldn’t replicate a similar performance in the second Test and India faltered, yet again. The openers are followed by number three (Shubman Gill) and number four (Virat Kohli). 

Shubman Gill has played 30 Tests now and questions should be asked for not converting the starts into big scores. On the other hand, Virat Kohli’s consistency has also become a headache for Team India. For India to win the third Test, these two pillars of the Indian batting line-up ought to step up and take responsibility. 

2. Indian bowling Attack:

India pacers were right on the money in the Perth Test but were put under pressure with the pink ball. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, all the other bowlers failed to put pressure on the Australians and make an impact with the ball. 

Harshit Rana couldn’t pick a single wicket in the last Test and went for more than five runs an over. He took a beating, especially by Travis Head, who fired on all cylinders. However, Rana has showed his prowess with the red-ball and his ability to hit the deck could prove to be vital at the Gabba. 

India have two other options sitting on the bench, namely Akashdeep and Prasidh Krishna. With Nitish Reddy showing promise with the bat, India can risk playing four seamers and no spinner. 

3. Concerns around India’s first innings total  

Much like in the second Test, India failed with the bat in the first innings at Perth, too. However, it was the bowlers who brought them back into the game. In the recent past, India have found themselves at the wrong end of the result whenever they made a poor first-innings total. 

In the last Test assignment vs New Zealand, India’s first innings totals read: 46, 156, and 263. India scored 150 in their first innings at Perth and it was followed with 180 in Adelaide. Clearly, it’s a big issue that need to resolved. Else, we could see Australia taking the lead 2-1 at the end of the third Test at Gabba.