The rain started in the morning and never stopped. (AP: Pat Hoelscher)
Mohammad Siraj was booed by the fans and the first day’s play was limited to 13 overs due to rain, so the fans got their money back, but the Australian openers still had time to impress.
Here is a brief summary of the first day of Gabba.
- Scorecard: View all live scores and statistics
- Summary: Australia and India lost at the Gabba as heavy rain washed away much of the first day of the third Test match
- Analysis: Gabba floods delay drama, may save India’s face
1. The rain returns
Usman Khawaja bats as the rain falls. (Getty Images: Albert Perez/Cricket Australia)
Brisbane had been hit by heavy rain overnight and the sky was cloudy as spectators began to arrive at the Gabba on Saturday morning, but by the time the match actually got underway there was a welcome bit of sunshine.
But it didn’t last long, as the rain started to fall again after just five innings.
A few balls later, the match became untenable as the umpire hesitated to remove the players due to light rain, but the rain intensified and Australian opener Usman Khawaja refused to face Mohammed Siraj.
The players were forced to leave the field for the first time, and the day quickly turned into a day of frustrating weather map watching.
The second delay was even more serious, with the entire second round forced to be cancelled as a flash flood warning was issued, Gabba Lake turned into a lake and the surrounding shells turned into raging rivers.
2. Brief but still the best
Nathan McSweeney was briefly in action but will play again the following day. (Getty Images: Matt Roberts/Cricket Australia)
The opening partnership in the first game is actually nothing new in this series.
On the first day of the series at the Gabba, the best score for the first wicket in the first innings was 24 runs in 10.6 overs between Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney in Adelaide.
The former Queensland teammates formed the strongest opening partnership yet by the end of the 10th innings of the Brisbane match.
By the end of the 11th, it was also the longest one.
Still, there is work to be done to match the 201 scored by Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul in the second innings in Perth as the biggest score of the series.
3. Ashwin dropped
In the last Test match in Adelaide, India made three changes from the team that won in Perth.
Now they have produced more models for the Gabba test.
VOTE NOW: What are the biggest moments between Australia and India?
The photo shows stylized images of Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee, Sophie Molineux and Dean Jones.
This summer, ABC Sport will be looking for the most memorable cricket moments between Australia and India, as voted for by readers. Vote now in our online poll.
Ravichandran Ashwin took 1-53 in 18 overs in Perth, knocking 22 runs and scoring 7 runs, but was replaced by Ravindra Jadeja in this Gabba Test match.
Harshit Rana also paid the price for his wicketless, scoreless outing in Adelaide and was replaced by Akash Deep.
This means India used 16 different players in the three Test matches.
Meanwhile, Australia fielded just 12 players and opted to bring back Josh Hazlewood as he was ruled out of the pink-ball Test due to a side strain.
4. Mohammed Siraj booed
Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head may have reconciled after a contentious and confrontational send-off in Adelaide.
But Brisbane audiences were less forgiving.
When Siraj took to the field for the first time that day, the Gabba erupted in boos as the packed house embraced India’s new pantomime villain the only way they knew how.
5. Rain refund
The grounds staff were busy on the first day of the third Test at the Gabba. (AAP: Jono Searle)
Rain delays are a huge disappointment for the tens of thousands of fans who turn out for the Gabba. But once the rain starts and lasts for a while, many paying spectators will surely start cheering for the players and hoping they don’t enter the stadium.
You see, if 15 innings are played, that’s equivalent to a full day. If it’s less than 15 innings, fans are entitled to a refund for their tickets.
When the players took their second outing at 11.50am AEST, 13.2 overs had been bowled.
Fortunately for the fans, rain prevented the final 10 balls from being bowled, and although they didn’t get to see the cricket they had hoped to see, at least they didn’t lose money for their trouble.
If you did purchase tickets, please check your email.
The biggest Australia-India moments
Throughout the summer we’ll be looking back at some of the best stories and sharing our own favourite moments in Australian and Indian cricket history.
Join us as we continue the discussion in our summer live blogs and broadcasts before our readers’ top 10 is revealed ahead of the fifth Test at the SCG on January 3.
Select five options to ensure your vote is counted.
The ABC of SPORT
Sports content that makes you think.. or makes you not think. A newsletter sent every Saturday. Your information will be processed in accordance with the ABC Privacy Collection Statement.