Australia dominated the morning session on Day 3 of the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Brisbane. Alex Carey’s impressive 70 guided the hosts to a formidable total of 445 before Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood delivered a fiery new-ball spell, leaving India reeling at 22/3 by lunch.
Starc dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, while Hazlewood accounted for Virat Kohli with a classic channel delivery. While Kohli’s mode of dismissal was familiar, his struggles during a 16-ball stay raised eyebrows.
Kohli’s innings began unconvincingly, as he failed to connect with two Starc deliveries after Gill’s exit, before finally edging one onto his pads to get off the mark. The most unnerving moment, however, came in the seventh over.
Starc banged in a short ball that climbed unexpectedly from a back-of-a-length, catching Kohli mid-adjustment. Rising on his toes, Kohli barely managed to fend off the delivery with quick reflexes, deflecting it with his gloves above his head.
The near-miss brought a sheepish smile to his face, while Starc responded with a smirk, much to the amusement of fans on social media.
— DJ Sinha (@sdj374531) December 16, 2024
Starc later played a pivotal role in Kohli’s dismissal, forcing the Indian captain on strike with sharp fielding just before the rain began to fall. Hazlewood capitalized, delivering the knockout blow to cap a dominant session for Australia.