India shaking at 51-4 but rain hampers Australia's push on Day 3 of 3rd test

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Australia only got to bowl 17 overs at India on another rain affected day in the third cricket test but it was enough for its pace attack to dismantle India's top-order as it sunk to 51-4 and end the third day 394 runs behind the hosts.

After Australia's tail wagged with the bat for a little longer to reach 445 all out early on Monday, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood quickly had India in trouble with a devastating opening spell at the Gabba.

Starc (2-25) took the wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill in his first two overs to set the tone, before Hazlewood (1-17) captured the prize wicket of Virat Kohli just before one of many passing rain showers brought on an early lunch with India at 22-3.

After removing Jaiswal (4) with the first ball of the innings in the second test at Adelaide, Starc needed just two balls at the Gabba to remove the tourist's opener.

The first ball was swiped through gully for a boundary by the 22-year-old but the second he chipped a simple catch to Mitch Marsh at midwicket for a soft dismissal.

In his next over, Starc struck again with Marsh diving acrobatically to take a two-handed catch at gully to remove Shubman Gill (1) and India was 7-2.

Hazlewood, back in the team after a side strain ruled him out of last week’s second test, then rocked India further by teasing an edge from the veteran Kohli to have India three down as rain began to fall and prompted an early lunch.

On the resumption, skipper Pat Cummins (1-7) got his first wicket by removing Rishabh Pant caught behind to reduce India to 44-4.

Captain Rohit Sharma came out to join KL Rahul but there was only time for a superb cover dive boundary for the latter before another passing shower forced players from the field.

The rest of the afternoon saw the weather look to clear but just as play appeared set to resume another passing rain shower would cross over the arena.

Play finally resumed at about 5:05 p.m. but only 17 more balls were bowled for three runs, before another passing shower and deteriorating light forced the end of the day's play.

Australia now has two days of play remaining, weather permitting, and it’s path to a possible victory would seem to be contingent on bowling India out for 245 or less in the first innings and enforce the follow on.

“We’ve got six wickets to take first,” Marsh said after play. “We know we have to take 20 wickets to try and win this test. All our conversations and planning will be how do we do that.

“Hopefully the weather holds off, and tomorrow is coming in, having a crack, and seeing where we get to.”

The hosts had resumed Monday at 405-7 and some big hitting by Starc and Alex Carey lifted Australia to 445. Carey was the final wicket to fall, holing out in the deep for an enterprising 70 off 88 balls — his ninth test half century.

Jasprit Bumrah added one more wicket to return figures of 6-76, having completed his 12th five-wicket haul in tests the day before to again shoulder the load for India's bowlers.

“We have 11 players, I don’t look at it that I have to do extra,” Bumrah said. “We are a new team, a lot of new players have come into the side and we have to look at it that they will learn from the experience.”

On Sunday's Day 2, Travis Head made a sparkling 152 and Steven Smith completed a long overdue 101, as part of a 241-run stand, to lift Australia to 405-7 at the close after it was a precarious 75-3 earlier in the day.

Rain prevented all but 13.2 overs on the opening day Friday after India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl on a green tinged Gabba wicket.

India won the first test by 295 runs at Perth, while Australia came back to win the second day-night test in Adelaide by 10 wickets.

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India's captain Rohit Sharma, center, and his batting partner KL Rahul leaves the field as rain stops play during play on day three of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

Australia's captain Pat Cummins, second left, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of India's Rishabh Pant during play on day three of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

India's Jasprit Bumrah, left, celebrates after dismissing Australia's Mitchell Starc, right, during play on day three of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

India's Shubman Gill takes the catch to dismiss Australia's Alex Carey during play on day three of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

Australia's Alex Carey hits the ball in the air before being caught out by India's Shubman Gill during play on day three of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

Australia's Mitchell Starc, center without cap, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of India's Yashasvi Jaiswal during play on day three of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

India's Virat Kohli bats during play on day three of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

Australian players celebrates the wicket of India's Shubman Gill during play on day three of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

Australia's Mitchell Starc, right, Mitchell Marsh, center, and Australia's captain Pat Cummins celebrates after the dismissal of India's Shubman Gill during play on day three of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

India's Virat Kohli walks off the field after losing his wicket during play on day three of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

India's KL Rahul bats during play on day three of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

Australia's Josh Hazlewood, left, celebrates the wicket of India's Virat Kohli, right, during play on day three of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)

A UK-based war monitor says Israeli airstrikes early Monday hit missile warehouses in Syria and called it the “most violent strikes” since 2012.

Israel has been pounding what it says are military sites in Syria after the dramatic collapse of President Bashar Assad’s rule, wiping out air defenses and most of the arsenal of the former Syrian army. Israeli troops have also seized a border buffer zone, sparking condemnation, with critics accusing Israel of violating the 1974 ceasefire and possibly exploiting the chaos in Syria for a land grab.

The Assad family’s rule, which lasted more than half a century, collapsed just over a week ago following a stunning rebel advance. This has renewed fears of regional instability as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza shows no signs of halting and hostilities between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah continue despite a ceasefire.

The new Syrian administration, led by the former insurgents who toppled Assad, has complained to the U.N. Security Council about the Israeli bombardment and incursions into Syrian territory in the Golan Heights. However, it has also said it does not want a military confrontation with Israel.

Here is the latest:

DAMASCUS, Syria — The U.S. embassy in Damascus advised Americans to leave Syria, saying the security situation there continues to be volatile and unpredictable with armed conflict and “terrorism throughout the country."

The embassy, which has been closed since 2012, posted a statement on X, warning U.S. citizens who are unable to leave the country to prepare “contingency plans for emergency situations.” It didn't give further details.

The statement also said that the U.S. government is unable to provide any routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens and those who need “emergency assistance to depart should contact the U.S. Embassy in the country they plan to enter.”

Sleeper cells of the Islamic State group have claimed responsibility for deadly attacks over the past months in different parts of Syria. Despite their defeat in March 2019, the extremists still pose a threat in the war-torn country.

DAMASCUS, Syria — The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported early Monday that Israeli airstrikes pounded missile warehouses and other former Syrian army sites along Syria’s coast in the “most violent strikes in the Syrian coast region since the beginning of the (Israeli) strikes in 2012.”

The Israeli military declined to comment on the strikes.

The observatory said that “violent explosions” were heard in the coastal city of Tartous “as a result of the successive strikes and the flying of ground-to-ground missiles from the warehouses.”

FILE - Israeli soldiers cross the security fence moving towards the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from Syria, in the town of Majdal Shams, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File )

An Israeli bulldozer maneuvers on the buffer zone near the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights from Syria, viewed from the town of Majdal Shams, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

An Israeli armoured vehicle crosses the security fence moving towards the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights from Syria, in the town of Majdal Shams, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)