Gabba Test: Rain plays spoilsport as India end day 3 at 51/4 in reply to Australia's 445

Brisbane: India laboured to 51 for 4 as Australia put themselves in the drivers seat on a rain-marred day three of the third Test at the Gabba here on Monday.

After Australia ended their first innings at 445, India's top order flattered to deceive, throwing away their wickets to end the day at a precarious position.

Rain hung around Brisbane for the most part of the day, and in the end, play was officially called off after the sixth interruption.

India need to reach 246 to avoid follow-on. The visitors trail by 394 runs.

Left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc struck twice and Josh Hazlewood once to leave India reeling at 22 for three at lunch after Australia racked up 445 in their first innings on day three.

Starc removed Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second ball of the India innings and then dismissed Shubman Gill before Hazlewood accounted for the wicket of Virat Kohli as the visitors stared down the barrel of another poor outing with the bat after their failures in Adelaide.

Jaiswal was out caught by Mitchell Marsh at short midwicket while he tried to clip a Starc half-volley off his pads.

Gill was sent back when Marsh pulled off a brilliant catch in the slip cordon off the bowling of Starc after the India number three played away from the body.

Kohli was dismissed in what has now become a familiar scene as he once again chased a length delivery outside off before nicking it to Alex Carey.

Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah (6/76) did the heavy lifting as Australia added 40 runs to their overnight score of 405 for seven.

Carey played a fine innings of 70 before becoming the last man to get out.

With two slips and a gully, Bumrah started the proceedings with a 21-over old ball and began with a maiden.

Batting on 45 overnight, Carey swept a Ravindra Jadeja delivery for a boundary towards fine-leg to reach his half-century off just 53 balls.

Bumrah came back to bowl another maiden over before Mitchell Starc decided to get down on one knee to slog sweep Jadeja for a six over square leg.

For someone who is known for keeping one end tight with his accurate bowling, Jadeja was going at five runs an over, and the seasoned left-arm spinner's profligacy put additional burden on a strained pace attack.

The surface at Gabba offered a bit of turn and bounce but Jadeja was guilty of bowling too straight to the left-handers.

Showing intent to score his runs quickly, Starc hit Bumrah over mid-wicket for a boundary, but four balls later, the Indian pace spearhead induced a faint edge from the blade of the left-arm fast bowler and it went through to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

It was Bumrah's sixth wicket of the innings, 18th of the series and 50th on Australian shores.

A passing shower interrupted the proceedings for a brief while and once play resumed, Mohammed Siraj bowled Nathan Lyon after he played down the wrong line.

Akas Deep, who failed to enter his name in the wicket's column despite troubling the likes of centurions Travis Head and Steve Smith on the second day, was finally rewarded for his toil as he had Carey caught in the deep to signal the end of Australian first innings.

Earlier, Australia added 40 runs to their overnight total. The pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep picked a wicket each to stop the hosts from reaching 450.

Brief Scores:

Australia 1st Innings: 445 all out in 117.1 overs (Travis Head 152, Steve Smith 101; Jasprit Bumrah 6/76).

India 1st innings: 51 for 4 in 17 overs (KL Rahul 33 batting; Mitchell Starc 2/25).