India Close to a Draw in Rain-Interrupted Gabba Test
A last-wicket stand between Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep helped India to survive and avoid follow-on against Australia in the fourth innings on day four of the fourth Test at the Gabba on Friday. Heavy showers are predicted for the final day, making the chances of a result slim, and the weather seems likely to become the decisive factor.
Rain has disrupted the game so far, with only 192 overs bowled across the first four days. On Tuesday, the fourth day, long rain intervals limited play to just 58 overs. Nothing appears bright on the fifth day, too. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said 2–25 mm of rain is forecast for Wednesday. Late morning to early afternoon showers are predicted. Along with this, there are also chances of a thunderstorm.
For Australia, it means that everything has to go absolutely right on the last day if they want to enforce a victory. The total number of overs scheduled for Wednesday is 98, but with potential rain delays, it is unclear how much play could actually be possible.
Australia’s hopes will rest upon a quick breakthrough
On the final day, Australia will first look to knock off the last remaining wicket of India quickly. If they can do that, they will look to bat aggressively for close to 20 overs and set India a chase of roughly 300 runs. That would leave Australia close to 70 overs to bowl India out. But in trying to ensure they give themselves enough time to win the game, they have to also avoid leaving India with a chaseable total.
The Australians are also a bowler short after Josh Hazlewood suffered a calf injury, which has ruled him out of action for the rest of the match. That leaves Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon to do most of the heavy lifting with the ball. Assistant coach Daniel Vettori admitted that Hazlewood’s absence has been challenging but noted that the frequent rain breaks have helped the fast bowlers stay fresher than usual.
“The breaks have allowed Mitch (Starc) and Patty (Cummins) to keep coming back in short bursts,” Vettori said. “If we’d played the full 90 overs, it would have been much tougher to manage their workload. Fortunately, we have Nathan Lyon, who can bowl a lot of overs and take the pressure off the quicks.”
Nathan Lyon is Australia’s leading spinner and may well come into the game if it is going to go for an extended period. Given the rain interruptions, his ability to bowl long spells may be crucial to pushing for a result.
India Fighting Spirit Keeps Them Alive
For India, the man who stole the show on the fourth day was KL Rahul. Rahul played a brilliant innings of 84 to keep his side in the game. His effort finally put India in a position close to avoiding the follow-on. Then came the unbroken last-wicket stand between Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep, which actually guaranteed that Australia could not enforce the follow-on at any cost. Their gritty partnership frustrated the Australian bowlers and lifted India’s spirits.
After play on the day, Rahul explained how difficult it was to focus with the incessant interruptions due to rain. “Honestly, I got more tired running back and forth to the dressing room than batting in the middle,” he joked. “It was challenging for both teams. We’d go out for a few overs, come back in, change, and then go out again. It’s frustrating, but you have to deal with it.
The rain delays have not helped players get into any rhythm, and both teams have found it hard to adapt to the stop-start nature of the match. For India, the disruptions have been a blessing in disguise, giving their bowlers and batters much-needed breaks while reducing the time Australia have to force a result.
The Weather on the Final Day
The weather for the final day is not predictable. Chances of a full day’s play are very low. On the second day, which had been the only day thus far without interruptions, play had been slow, and it was hard for either team to be dominant. If the rain continues as expected, this match will probably end in a draw, which would be more than welcome for India from the earlier struggles.
India’s bowlers must stay disciplined when they bowl again, and the batsmen must be ready for whatever challenges Australia tests them with. However, if the rain continues as it did over the past few days, the game may end with minimal action.
Australia’s Crisis
If Australia do get enough play on the final day, they will face the tricky decision of how aggressively to try and win. Bowled short, their fast bowlers’ resources are stretched thin, and asking for long spells on a tiring pitch could backfire.
On the other hand, Australia might still want to give themselves a chance to win, especially if they can take India’s last wicket quickly. For now, it remains a waiting game for both teams, with the weather holding all the cards.
Conclusion
The Gabba Test, which will be the last test of the series, now hangs in the balance and is in favor of the weather. Heavy showers have been forecast, and Australia is bowling a man short. Under such circumstances, a decisive result looks unlikely. When it mattered the most, India’s lower order had shown resilience with Bumrah and Akash Deep on the field, and KL Rahul’s brilliant innings helped stabilize India’s position.
For now, all eyes are on the skies.If rain dominates the day, India will secure a hard-fought draw, leaving Australia wondering what might have been. If the weather clears up, however, the final day could still offer plenty of drama and a chance for one team to claim victory.
