Australia vs India: Day five live scores and updates from the Gabba

Pat Cummins has launched a big defence of Australian selectors after they came under fire, but hasn’t guaranteed newcomer Nathan McSweeney will hold his spot in Melbourne.

Pat Cummins has launched an impassioned defence of under-fire selection chair George Bailey but stopped short of guaranteeing struggling opener Nathan McSweeney would hold his spot in the Australian team for what shapes as the most pivotal Boxing Day Test in years.

Rain once more ruled the day at the Gabba on Wednesday as the third Test ended in a draw that had long loomed likely, but not before Australia suffered another top order collapse.

Pat Cummins walks off the Gabba during a rain delay. Picture: David Gray/AFP.

Though the Aussies’ third innings of 7-89 must be viewed through the prism of declaration batting, McSweeney’s 25-ball innings of four continued a lean run for the South Australian captain, who is averaging just 14.40 across six innings to start his career.

Usman Khawaja (eight), Marnus Labuschagne (one) and Mitch Marsh (two) all fell cheaply again to heighten scrutiny on the Aussie engine room.

With the series locked at 1-1, Australian selectors have deferred naming their squad for the Melbourne Test against India until Thursday at the earliest. That has given oxygen to the notion that the panel may consider dropping McSweeney for another top order batter, amid a groundswell of support growing for the addition of NSW teen star Sam Konstas to be called up.

Cummins - who is not a selector but is kept in the loop with selection discussions - said he had been impressed by McSweeney’s approach but could not confirm that the 25-year-old would hold his spot.

“I think the selectors will get together tonight or tomorrow and pick the squad for the next couple of Tests,” Cummins said.

“But it’s been really hard for the opening batters, for both sides really. I’ve been really impressed with the way he’s gone about it, even today, someone starting out his career still being selfless enough to go out there and try and play shots rather than just trying to preserve and get a score.

“So yeah really impressed with him again. Hasn’t probably scored the runs that he would like, but he’s played some important knocks that have set up a win in Adelaide and a really good result here.”

Decisions on the squad for the MCG Test come in the wake of criticism from former Australian coach Darren Lehmann who argued on the ABC during the Brisbane Test that Bailey was “too close” to the current players. Bailey routinely sits with the team when a selector on duty and often helps out at training too.

“In my opinion, he’s too close to the team,” Lehmann said.

“I would like him sitting up watching in a selectors’ box somewhere and be able to make his own decisions.

Usman Khawaja is clean bowled by Jasprit Bumrah

“Now, you can’t do that sometimes if you’re too close because you actually get too emotional and you care about the players. As a selector, I cared about the players, as a coach you do, but sometimes you actually get too close and you forget about what’s out there.”

But Cummins - part of Ashes and World Cup-winning outfits as a player under Lehmann - rejected his former coach’s call.

“I don’t know how that could be true,” Cummins said.

“There’s so much more to picking a side than just looking at kind of the internet. So I think going on with really strong philosophies, working with players. Of course the most important thing is you do stay objective. And I think that the selection panel are amazing at that. “They’ve made some, some really bold calls over the last couple of years in all formats, probably bolder than I’d seen other selectors make over the previous years, so they’ve never shied away from a tough decision.

Steve Smith was out caught down the legside once more. Picture: Getty

“I think what George brings to role is amazing, and I think you’d hear that from the guys in the side, but you’d also hear it from state guys and everyone outside as well.”

While Australia will be forced into at least one change for the Melbourne Test after Josh Hazlewood’s series-ending calf injury, the Aussie camp insisted that Travis Head was fine despite showing signs of a “tight quad” while batting on Wednesday.

Having eventually bowled India out for 260 on day five, the Aussies had to endure a further weather delay before batting again.

Cummins’ 22 from 10 balls was the top score as Australia stuttered in a bid to set the game up. It was all to no avail in any case, with just 13 balls bowled in India’s chase of 275 before the weather had the final say with the score 0-8.

Re-live all the action from the day’s play in the blog below.

Originally published as Australia vs India: Day five live scores and updates from the Gabba