Thunderstorms Threaten India's Chase as Australia Take Charge

Australia's bowlers dominated day three of the third Test against India, with Jhye Richardson and Pat Cummins taking four wickets each, giving their side a 394-run lead and putting pressure on the Indian batting line-up. The hosts closed at 445 in their first innings, with India restricted to 51-4 before the rain intervened, marking the beginning of a crucial stage in the match.

As the Border-Gavaskar Trophy remains level at 1-1 after two matches, Australia appears confident of forcing a result in Brisbane. The hosts hold a strong position, with India miles away from the follow-on mark of 246. However, the rain may play a significant role in the final two days of the game, with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting up to 30mm of rain on day four and up to 25mm on day five. Australia have the option to enforce the follow-on, which, if achieved, would be the second time under Pat Cummins' captaincy tenure.

As the Indian batting line-up struggles to gain momentum, Captain Pat Cummins and his team are choosing to wait and see how the weather unfolds before deciding their next move. At the moment, India trails by 394 runs with Nitish Kumar Reddy on 5 and Ravindra Jadeja on 41, both batsmen solidly building a partnership to avoid the follow-on target. Rahul, who had built partnerships worth 51 runs before being denied a century by Steve Smith, is confident that his team can recover from the challenging position.

As the match reaches a critical juncture, all eyes will be on the weather, with any delay potentially swinging the momentum in India's favor. Alternatively, a prolonged rain delay could give the Indian team a much-needed chance to regroup and build a solid partnership, taking advantage of favourable conditions to potentially draw the match. The Australians, however, appear likely to enforce the follow on, keeping the pressure intact in their bid to bounce back from their loss in Adelaide.

With Australia's strong bowling unit ready to cause trouble for the Indian batting line-up, the stage is set for a thrilling conclusion to the third Test. While India trails by 394 runs and the weather conditions remain unpredictable, the Indian team has shown resilience in the past. On day 4, the outcome will largely depend on the Indian batsmen's ability to rally back, avoiding the follow-on and keeping the momentum within their grasp, on the match.