A heavy downpour led to less than 15 overs of play on the opening day of the third Test between India and Australia at the Gabba on Saturday. Invited to bat, Australia ended the rain-marred day on 28 for no loss from 13.2 overs.

A steady drizzle had stopped play briefly in the sixth over before a second spell of heavy showers prevented any play on day one. Jasprit Bumrah bowled six overs however the pacer didn’t get the desired amount of swing under the overcast conditions.

In the 5th over, Bumrah tried altering his length to trouble the Australian opener but he was heard over the stump microphone saying, “Nahi ho raha swing, kahin bhi kar (There is no swing no matter where you bowl)”.

Jasprit Bumrah’s frustration catches the stump mic! ????

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[CricketGully Cricket TeamIndia BCCI IPL TestCricket WorldTestChampionship JaspritBumrah] pic.twitter.com/U4gtsPJZeK

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Resuming after the first rain break, Akash Deep and Siraj were beginning to get the ball to nip around before the heavens opened up. The five-match series stands tied at 1-1.

While India skipper Rohit Sharma would be happy that Australia didn’t score way too many runs, his bowlers did not force the opposition openers to play more deliveries. A lot of deliveries were left from length.

With not many probing questions asked, the first 25 minutes before the steady drizzle stopped proceedings saw Australia reach 19 for no loss.

While McSweeney defended dourly, Khawaja did pull Siraj for a boundary before the break and added one more after play resumed. Before the first break, even Bumrah pitched more deliveries back of length, allowing the batters to leave them easily, trusting the bounce of the surface.

Siraj was removed after a three-over initial spell. It was Akash Deep (0/2 in 3.2 overs), who looked good first up, keeping the ball on the off-stump channel with his stock delivery that would dart in to put batters in uncomfortable positions.

During the hour’s play, the highlight was how Khawaja dealt with Bumrah’s first spell.

He defended well by dropping his bottom hand and trying to play as late as possible. The balls that went past Khawaja’s outside edge weren’t about being getting beaten but rather, he kept the bat close to his body, allowing the ball to deviate past the willow. He only played deliveries that were bowled into his body.

He knew that if they can manage Bumrah’s first spell which is generally between six to eight overs, they can dominate other bowlers.

The second rain break came just when Akash an, Siraj had started pitching the ball further up, using the angles well.

(With PTI inputs)