By Ian Ransom
(Reuters) -Rain cut short Australia’s improbable push for victory in the third test in Brisbane on Wednesday as India bid farewell to one of the game’s great spin bowlers when Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement.
Though second best for much of the first four days, India finished day five on a high by capturing seven wickets and with their openers left to face only 2.1 overs before a downpour saw play abandoned after tea and the match end in a draw.
The weather ensured the five-test series remains locked at 1-1 ahead of the traditional “Boxing Day” test in Melbourne, where both teams will bring a mix of optimism and concern.
“We’ll take that, obviously,” said India captain Rohit Sharma at the post-match presentation.
“We head to Melbourne with the confidence that we can try to pull things toward us.”
India were eight for no loss when tea was called early due to failing light, with the tourists 267 runs short of victory at the Gabba.
Captain Pat Cummins had declared Australia’s second innings closed at 89 for seven to give India a 275-run target as dark clouds gathered.
Australia may rage at the weather, having battled hard for a winning position while rain blighted four of the five days.
“Unfortunately a lot of rain, which you can’t do anything about… I’m really proud of how the guys played,” said Cummins.
“We were right ahead of the game…. We just about ticked off every box we could.”
Travis Head was named Player of the Match after scoring 152 in Australia’s first innings, having also scored a big hundred in the hosts’ second test win in Adelaide.
With Steve Smith also scoring a century in a return to form, Australia put 445 on the board in the first innings and wrapped up India’s reply for 260 in the first hour of day five by capturing the last wicket of Akash Deep for 31.
REGRETS
Australia will have regrets, however, particularly the selectors’ decision to drop Scott Boland for recalled quick Josh Hazlewood, who broke down with a calf injury early on day four and left the hosts shorthanded.
Smith may also rue dropping the easiest of catches in the slips to reprieve KL Rahul on the first ball of the same day. Rahul, in the thirties when spared, went on to make a vital 84 and helped India stay in the fight.
With Hazlewood out of commission, Australia’s overworked attack fell just short of making India follow-on, with Deep and Jasprit Bumrah combining for a heroic 10th-wicket stand that pushed their team to safety.
India will feel they got the better of day five, having rattled through Australia’s top order.
In search of quick runs, Australia crashed to 33 for five as Deep and Bumrah removed the top four for single-digit scores.
Travis Head and Alex Carey (19 not out) briefly stemmed the bleeding with a 27-run partnership before Head top-edged Mohammed Siraj to be out for 17.
Cummins slogged 22 off 10 balls before becoming Bumrah’s third wicket and declared five balls later.
Australia’s hopes of forcing a result were always hostage to the weather and made wafer-thin by Hazlewood’s injury.
There are also concerns about all-rounder Mitchell Marsh’s fitness after he bowled only two overs in the match.
India have their own problems, with Rohit facing further questions over his place in the side after managing 10 runs at the Gabba.
Batting at six, he has 19 runs from three innings in the series, while Virat Kohli has made only 21 since his stirring hundred in the series-opening win in Perth.
Ashwin, dropped for Brisbane, announced his retirement from international cricket straight after the finish on Wednesday, bringing down the curtain on a glittering career that produced 537 wickets from 106 tests at an average of 24.00.
Although there is plenty of cricket left to play, Indian fans may wonder if Rohit and Kohli could soon follow Ashwin through the exit doors, or whether they have enough in reserve to contribute to a third successive series triumph in Australia.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
