Head and Smith tons put Australia in control against India

Travis Head and Steve Smith brought up centuries as Australia dominated day two of the third Test against India, reaching stumps with a commanding 405-run lead.

With the series poised at 1-1, the third match in Brisbane was brought to a halt by persistent rain on Saturday with the hosts only getting 13.2 overs with the bat.

They initially wobbled when resuming on Sunday, being dropped to 38-2 by Jasprit Bumrah, who had Usman Khawaja (21) and Nathan McSweeney (nine) caught within the space of two overs.

Bumrah ultimately ended the day with figures of 5-72, taking his overall Test tally in Australia to 49 wickets – only Kapil Dev (51) has more for India.

However, he lacked support from his fellow bowlers, with Akash Deep (0-78) and Ravindra Jadeja (0-76) proving particularly expensive as Smith and Head helped Australia reach 405-7.

The duo added a brilliant 241 in 302 balls for Australia's fourth wicket, with both ultimately falling victim to Bumrah within the space of 12 deliveries after the India star took up the second new ball of the day.

However, the damage had largely been done by that point, and Alex Carey's steady 45 off 47 balls tacked on further runs for Australia before stumps.

He will resume at the crease alongside Mitchell Starc on Monday, with the threat of more rain meaning urgency may be required from the hosts.

Stumps on Day 2 in Brisbane! Australia reach 405/7 in the 1st innings. Jasprit Bumrah the pick of the bowlers for #TeamIndia so far with bowling figures of 5/72 Scorecard - https://t.co/dcdiT9NAoa#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/500JiP8nsQ

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 15, 2024

Data Debrief: Head leads the way

Australia looked to be in trouble early on Sunday, but Head led their charge as they managed 130 runs in the middle session at 4.8 per over.

Head hit 80 of those, ultimately reaching 152 at almost a run a ball before falling victim to Bumrah, from his 160th delivery faced.

It represented his joint fourth-best innings in Test cricket, after scores of 175 against West Indies in 2022, 163 against India in 2023, and 161 against Sri Lanka in 2019. He also managed a score of 152 against England in the Ashes in December 2021.