Australia's grip on the Fourth Test has disappeared at the hands of a wild Brisbane quirk that is wreaking havoc on batsmen.
Australia has 98 overs to steal the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from India after rain forced play to be abandoned on Day 4 with the home side still needing 10 wickets.
The series-deciding Fourth Test is on a knife's edge with Australia digging deep to reach 294 all out in the final session of play. India was just overs into their fourth innings chase before a second shower saw the umpires call stumps early.
It sets up a grandstand finish with India needing 324 runs to win the match after reaching 0/4 at stumps.
The Aussies earlier paid a heavy price pushing for quick runs early with Marcus Harris, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Wade all falling in quick succession as Australia limped to 4-149 at lunch.
The damage continued after the main break with Steve Smith falling on 55 to a jumping short ball from Mohammed Siraj that took Smith by surprise and collected a piece of the batsman's glove.
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From there, India began to harness the destructive power of the deteriorating Gabba pitch and rolled through the middle order and tail.
The Aussies have a lead of 327 and will be buoyed by the sights of gremlins wreaking havoc on the Gabba deck, producing uneven bounce that will have the Aussie attack salivating ahead of the final day of the series.
However, India remains very much in the contest after also producing a brave fighting effort to save the Sydney Test on the final day last week.
The Aussie batting unit will be cursing their failure to kick-on with Smith the only player to reach fifty, despite seven Aussie batsmen scoring above 20.
Indian quick Mohammed Siraj was the chief destroyer, finishing with 5/73 to set-up a thrilling conclusion to the series on Tuesday.
The early weather forecast for Tuesday shows promising signs that there will be a full day of play from 10.30am (AEDT) with rain to hit Brisbane overnight.
The Aussie tail didn't bother trying to frustrate India's bowlers and instead looked for quick runs to give the home side more overs to knock over the tourists on the final day of play.
Australia lost 5/67 after Steve Smith's dismissal as Mohammed Siraj continued to bowl hand grenades deep into the innings.
Australia was eventually dismissed for 297, leaving India needing 328 to win the match – and the series.
Mitchell Stark and Nathan Lyon were removed cheaply early in the final session of play after Australia took its lead to more than 300 runs.
Starc hit out with a mistimed drive that lofted safely to mid-on off the bowling of Mohammed Siraj.
It took just three balls after the rain delay to leave Australia 8-247.
Lyon was caught spanking a cover drive straight to a fielder to leave the Aussies 9-274.
Tim Paine became yet another victim of India's short ball campaign when he fell for 27 at the hands of Shardul Thakur.
Paine's cameo took Australia to a lead of more than 270 – a score that means India will have to produce the biggest fourth innings run chase in the history of test cricket at the venue to steal the Fourth Test.
Paine was the third straight casualty to India's short ball tactics after Cameron Green and Steve Smith were also victims to the uneven bounce short of a length.
Paine took a swing at a body-line delivery, but only managed to get a snicking edge through to keeper Rishabh Pant.
Australia's tail has been exposed as India used the gremlins in the Gabba pitch to remove Steve Smith and Cameron Green.
Smith fell on 55 to a nasty delivery from Mohammed Siraj that hit near a crack in the pitch and shot up towards the Aussie's shoulders. His back foot defence gloved the ball to Indian keeper Rishabh Pant and exposed Australia's low order.
Green fell in a similar fashion when defending on the back foot to a short ball that surprised him that some added bounce.
Aussie great Michael Hussey said the unpredictable pitch would actually be welcomed by the Aussies, knowing India has to bat on the deteriorating wicket on the final day of play.
"As you can see there is one little area there where it’s cracking or there’s some uneven bounce that’s really making it difficult for the batsmen to play," he told Fox Cricket.
"There’s some nasty deliveries there so it’s certainly not going to be easy batting last on this pitch."
He said the unpredictable patch would have bowlers salivating at the prospect of bowling from the Vulture Street end.
Steve Smith's hilarious habit of showing off his full collection of up to 15 pairs of gloves has got TV commentators chuckling.
The Aussie star famously changes his gloves every 20-30 minutes and refuses to wear gloves that do not match in the series of numbers he writes on them.
When the cameras spotted Smith putting 13 pairs of gloves out in the sun near the boundary rope, Aussie great Mark Waugh couldn't believe it.
"Wow, he’s here for a long innings," Waugh said.
"He’s got more gloves than an octopus. Nup, have we got an octopus coming in next have we?"
Australia's fragile batting order has been exposed again with a collapse of 4-34 in a dramatic first session of play.
After the earlier dismissals of openers David Warner and Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Wade fell in the same over from Mohammed Siraj.
Labushagne was caught in the slips after a shortish ball climbed on him and collected a thick edge high on the blade.
Matthew Wade's poor summer continued when he fell to a thin tickle when trying to flick a ball off his pads.
Wade's thin edge was taken with a nice diving catch by keeper Rishabh Pant.
A great ball from Siraj to dismiss Labuschagne! The edge into slips, Rohit takes the catch and Australia three down #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/AlCoFVEhgX
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 18, 2021
Australia lost both openers in the space of seven balls with David Warner and Marcus Harris both falling short of a half century.
Harris first failed to secure his spot at the top of the order after being removed on 38 off the bowling of Shardul Thakur.
Harris gloved a short ball while trying to get underneath it – and the Kookaburra flew to keeper Rishabh Pant.
Warner then followed in the next over when he was trapped in front for 48 off the bowling of Washington Sundar.
It left Australia 2-97.
The latest of late reviews from David Warner, but it can't save him – and India remove both openers in the blink of an eye #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Yx7KwJ9LwK
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 18, 2021
Former Australian fast bowlers have rushed to Mitchell Starc's defence after criticism of his performances this summer.
The left-armer has taken 11 wickets at an average of 33.9, but has been under the microscope, especially as the Aussie attack faltered in the second innings in Sydney and the first innings in Brisbane.
However, Stuart Clark and Jason Gillespie have both backed Starc.
"People can be really critical of Mitchell Starc but his job in this team is to run in and bowl fast," Clark told ABC Grandstand.
"He picked up the crucial wicket of (Ajinkya) Rahane. He got a crucial wicket late in the day. He provides variety."
Gillespie tweeted: "Criticism of Starc is VERY unfair. Comfortably one of the greatest bowlers Australia has produced and he has a couple of quiet games and the world is all over him. Please – give me strength."
Tim Paine has been urged to take a risk with a bold declaration to win the series as the fourth Test hangs in the balance.
The series is locked at 1-1 and if that’s how it stays, then India will retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy because it still holds the silverware from its last trip Down Under in 2018/19.
Ideally, the Aussies would score quickly and declare late on day four with a lead over 350, giving their bowlers at least the final day to try and take 10 Indian wickets.
The home side’s attack couldn’t get the job done in Sydney and India came within a Hanuma Vihari hamstring injury of chasing victory itself. Memories of that run chase will make Paine nervous but he’ll be hoping for more luck at the Gabba should he make a sporting declaration because a draw just doesn’t cut it for Australia.
Former Australian T20 star Dirk Nannes said the hosts have to risk losing the game in order to win it.
“Absolutely … I don’t think they’re going to be happy going out with a 1-1 draw and going away saying, ‘At least we didn’t lose’,” Nannes told ABC Grandstand.
“I don’t think that’s good enough.
“You need the bait for them to go for the runs to get the victory, to win the series rather than just level the series and just take it by default that you’re holding the cup at the time.”
Ex-Australian captain Ian Chappell also weighed in, telling the ABC: “Tim Paine is going to have to think long and hard but really he’s got to dangle the carrot because the draw is not doing him any good at all.”
Former Aussie paceman Stuart Clark was in the same boat. “You’re going to have to take a risk here,” he told the Big Sports Breakfast.
“There’s no difference between losing and drawing for Australia.”
Ricky Ponting says Australia’s bowlers weren’t aggressive enough as India’s tail wagged to frustrate the hosts on day three.
Debutant Washington Sundar (62) and second-gamer Shardul Thakur (67) combined for a heroic 123-run, seventh-wicket partnership to cut into Australia’s first innings lead as the visitors showed the remarkable resilience that has been their trademark on this tour.
Ponting wanted Australia’s quicks to bowl more short stuff and intimidate the inexperienced duo during their match-turning stand.
"I was a bit disappointed with the way the Australians went about it, to be honest," Ponting told cricket.com.au. "I don't think they were aggressive enough, didn't bowl enough short balls.
"They let the Indian batsmen be way too comfortable at the crease. They almost bowled the way those batsmen would have wanted them to bowl.
"I thought they could have gone out and set the tone really early on with some really good, hostile fast bowling just to let India know what they were going to be about for the day.”
However, former Australian all-rounder Simon O'Donnell disagreed with Ponting, saying the fast bowlers have bowled far too short.
"I just don’t know why the intimidation factor is so much of Australia’s bowling plans right now," O'Donnell told SEN.
“They’re brilliant bowlers the three of them. When they bowl at the stumps, they more often than not get wickets and trouble top order batsmen.
“I don’t know why we’ve tried to knock everyone out Test after Test after Test. I’ve found that stunning and I’d love to know the tactic.
“Renowned bowlers tell you you’ve got to hit the top of off stump more often than not and the Australians haven’t done it and I’d like to know why.
"I'm seeing a fantastic Australian attack waste time trying to intimidate. I would really have a look at tactics at the end of all of this. It seems to be an instruction to be from chest to chin."
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Former Labor leader and One Nation politician Mark Latham hammered the move but he was on his own.