Tue Dec 17 01:20:00 UTC 2024: ## India Fight Back, But Still Face Steep Challenge in Brisbane
**Brisbane, Australia:** Day four of the third Test between India and Australia at the Gabba saw a determined, if ultimately unsuccessful, fightback from the visitors. Resuming at 51/4, India were hoping to avoid the follow-on against Australia’s imposing first-innings total of 445.
KL Rahul, resuming on 33, and captain Rohit Sharma (0) initially steadied the ship. However, the Indian batting line-up continued to struggle. Rahul played a gritty knock before he was eventually caught by Steve Smith off Nathan Lyon for 79. Rohit Sharma also fell relatively early, caught by Alex Carey off Pat Cummins for a low score.
Ravindra Jadeja provided some support, but wickets continued to fall, leaving India with a mountain to climb. Despite brief periods of resistance and a 50-run partnership between Rahul and Jadeja, persistent rain interruptions hampered any significant momentum.
At the close of play, India were 145/6, still a substantial 300 runs behind Australia’s first innings total. The threat of the follow-on remains very real.
Earlier in the match, Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. Both teams made changes to their playing XIs. India brought in Ravindra Jadeja and Akash Deep, while Australia replaced Scott Boland with Josh Hazlewood.
The Gabba has historically been a challenging venue for India, and this match further highlighted that struggle. The overall head-to-head record between the two nations in Test matches favors Australia significantly.
Despite a spirited effort from KL Rahul, India face a daunting task to avoid defeat in the third Test. The match will resume tomorrow with India’s survival and hopes of a series comeback hanging precariously in the balance.
First Piper 