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Opener KL Rahul an early wake-up call on Day 4 as Steve Smith dropped a sitter off Mitchell Starc's delivery on first ball. Rahul utilised the second chance and shared a crucial partnership with Ravindra Jadeja after India lost half their side. However, Smith made up for his mistake by taking a one-handed stunner at first slip to prevent Rahul from scoring a century.
On the first ball of the day, Starc bowled a back of the length delivery. Rahul poked at it and got a thick edge. The ball went straight into Smith's hands but he could not hold on to it. He was batting on 33 then.
A few overs later, Pat Cummins dismissed Indian captain Rohit Sharma but Rahul stood tall and reached his 17th Test fifty from 85 balls.
After the rain interruption, Rahul batted well against the pacers. It was Nathan Lyon who got the breakthrough. He cramped Rahul for room as he tried to go for a cut short. The thick edge went to the right of Smith. He stuck his right hand out and took the catch.
Rahul scored 84 runs from 139 balls including eight fours. This is the fourth-highest score by an Indian opener at The Gabba. He missed out on becoming third Indian opener after Murali Vijay and Sunil Gavaskar to score a century at the venue. Rahul and Jadeja shared a 67-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Smith's record-equalling century
Earlier in the Test, Smith scored his first century of the year 2024. He scored 101 runs from 190 balls including 12 fours. He shared a 241-run partnership with in-form Travis Head who scored 152 runs from 160 balls. This was Smith's 33rd Test century and 10th against India. He equalled England batter Joe Root's record for most Test centuries against India.
azlewood taken for scans
Meanwhile, rain has interrupted the Day 4's play a few times. Australia lost the services of Josh Hazlewood as he had an issue with his calf. Hazlewood complained of discomfort during the warm-up. He bowled one over but struggled and left the field. He was taken for scans and is unlikely to bowl on Day 4.
