BRISBANE: Jasprit Bumrah stood at fine leg with his hands on his hips, a picture of controlled frustration. It was 10:50 AM on Sunday at The Gabba. Unlike day one of the third Test between India and Australia, the sun was out and shining brightly. The extra half-hour added to compensate for Saturday’s rain delay had gone smoothly.

Thanks to the rain, Bumrah had been able to continue his spell on Sunday morning, and he was breathing fire. Running in with purpose, he removed both openers, leaving Marcus Labuschagne and Steve Smith in the middle. Desperate to break their partnership, Bumrah had bowled 11 overs by then, including six maidens, taking 2 for 12. On day two, he had bowled six consecutive overs leading up to the drinks break.

While the rest of the Indian team gathered near the pitch during their break, Bumrah remained at the boundary. Reports suggested that Bumrah had asked for another over, but Rohit Sharma declined, wary of overworking his premier pacer. By this point, after 24 overs, the scoreboard read 53 for 2.

Over the next hour, Bumrah looked like a man watching helplessly from the sidelines, wondering, “What more can I do?” He patrolled the field, moving from mid-on to fine leg, as Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep continued their spells. Soon, Nitish K Reddy was introduced into the attack. Labuschagne and Smith, however, settled in and looked primed for a big score. Smith regained his trademark trigger movement, while Labuschagne played with urgency.

Even as they rotated the strike, the scoring rate remained modest, hovering slightly above two runs per over. The Gabba crowd cheered on their heroes while booing Siraj with every delivery. An intense moment unfolded as Labuschagne fiddled with the bails, prompting Siraj to switch them back.

Labuschagne, after facing 54 balls, was still searching for his first boundary. Reddy bowled a full delivery, which the No. 3 batter drove, only to gift Virat Kohli a straightforward catch in the slips.

It was an ideal time for Sharma to reintroduce Bumrah or Akash Deep for a short spell, especially with Travis Head just arriving at the crease. The last thing India needed was for Head to settle. However, Sharma persisted with Reddy and Siraj. Siraj bowled his 11th over (fifth on the trot), and Bumrah returned for three overs before lunch, but without further breakthroughs.