Australia v India: Third Test preview

Australia will be eager to maintain their winning momentum when they take on India in the third Test in Brisbane, having levelled the seris at 1-1 with a thumping win in Adelaide.

The Aussies bounced back impressively in the second Test in Adelaide, winning by 10 wickets to square the series.

Pat Cummins’ side can now take a 2-1 lead in the pivotal game of the tour as they look to reclaim the winning thread at their former stronghold of the Gabba.

India, meanwhile, will be eager to put the Adelaide defeat behind them and replicate their historic win at this venue in 2021, which sealed a memorable series victory.

Australia v India betting preview

India’s three-wicket win over Australia in Brisbane was not only memorable because it sealed an unlikely comeback from 1-0 down in a four-game series.

But it was also the hosts’ first defeat at the Gabba in over 30 years with the iconic West Indies team the last touring team to succeed at the ground back in 1988.

However, a much less-heralded Windies side beat Australia by eight runs there earlier this year to leave many wondering if the Gabba was no longer the fabled fortress of the Baggy Greens.

The West Indies won the toss in January and did what almost every team should do first at the Gabba - bat.

The Aussies had them 5-64 in the first session before a crucial sixth-wicket partnership of 149 runs turned the tide and that is the sort of position Cummins’ side cannot squander if they make early inroads with the ball again.

If they get first use of the pitch, then Australia will need their top four to pile on the runs in a way that they have not been able to do in this series so far.

Bumrah can breach right-handers' defences

Jasprit Bumrah has laid waste to Australia’s top order in the first two Tests, taking eight of their 12 wickets to fall from 1-4.

The idiosyncratic Indian has accounted for Steve Smith twice and opener Nathan McSweeney three times.

Bumrah’s ability to bring the ball back into the right-handers off a good length with the new ball has been a hugely effective weapon and there is no reason to believe he won’t cause trouble like that again at the Gabba.

His 82 Player Performance points in Adelaide were less than half of his 168-point haul in Perth, but pink-ball Tests have not really been Bumrah’s stage in the past and he should go better with the traditional red cherry back in his hand.

Cummins the main man at the Gabba

India's batting collapse in Adelaide has raised concerns and they will need to address these issues quickly, with the Gabba pitch likely to offer even more assistance to the seamers.

Mitchell Starc was in devastating form in Adelaide, taking six wickets in the first innings to set up Australia's dominant win.

However, the left-armer has been outperformed by his skipper in past Test matches at the Gabba.

Starc has taken 47 wickets at just under 29 runs apiece at the Brisbane ground, while Cummins can count 40 scalps at an average of 18.23.

The right-armer has taken two five-wicket hauls in his last three Test appearances at the Gabba and picked up six wickets in that 2021 defeat to India.

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Australia v India odds

Australia - 1.61
Draw - 12.00
India - 2.87

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.