Incessant rains played spoilsport on Day 1 of the third round of the tussle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as only 13.2 overs could be bowled with Australia reaching 28/0 after being sent in on a Gabba wicket, still sporting a tinge of green and under overcast conditions.

Queensland captain Usman Khawaja claimed the majority of the runs on return to familiar territory but his efforts were cut short by the torrential rains that showed no signs of relenting after the first session, keeping the players confined indoors for the rest of the day.

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The veteran southpaw set about giving the Australian innings its early impetus, pulling strongly at every opportunity and even flicking Jasprit Bumrah off his stumps and to the fine leg boundary. His opening partner Nathan McSweeney played the perfect second fiddle as both openers cautiously navigated the probing spells from Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and first-change Akash Deep, ensuring a steady start for the hosts.

Bumrah and his new-ball partner Siraj initially erred on the shorter side with their length through the opening 25 minutes, with just one of 33 deliveries would have hit the stumps. At that point, the players left the field for 30 minutes due to a passing shower. Only 7.5 overs were bowled thereafter, though that was enough for paceman Akash to make his first appearance in the series.

McSweeney kept his partner on his toes with a couple of quick singles but once the Indian new ball bowlers got used to the pace of the Gabba, the rookie opener found runs hard to come by; outside of those drop-and-runs, his only other scoring shots came via a couple of tucks off the hip to fine leg.

By around 11.50 am, when the rain arrived and settled over the Gabba, McSweeney was on four from 33 deliveries while Khawaja, who has been battling a slump in the lead-up to this Test, considering the fact that he has now gone 27 Test innings without a hundred, had moved confidently to 19.

With more rain predictions in store for Sunday, the challenge for both batters is far from over.

Earlier, with the series squared at 1-1, India captain Rohit Sharma revealed two changes at the coin toss, with Akash Deep in for fellow quick Harshit Rana, and Ravindra Jadeja replacing Ravichandran Ashwin in the XI. Jadeja’s entry meant the tourists have played three different spinners in each of the first three Tests.

Australia meanwhile, had named their XI on the eve of the game, with Josh Hazlewood returning at the expense of the unlucky Scott Boland.

Rohit, who is expected to return to his opening slot despite being listed to bat in the middle order at the toss, was eager to use the overcast conditions with the ball to his side’s advantage. “It’s overcast. A little bit of grass and it looks a little soft as well and try and see what we can do with the ball upfront,” Rohit said.

After a resounding 295-run defeat in the tour opener in Perth, Australia under Pat Cummins were emphatic in their reply, winning by 10 wickets inside three days at the Adelaide Oval.

Brief Scores: Australia 28 for 0 (Khawaja 19 not out, McSweeney 4 not out) vs India.