Border Gavaskar Trophy: Gabba's traditional pace-paradise awaits India for third Test, tough time on cards for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

After levelling the five-match Test series by 1-1 with a massive 10-wicket win in the second Test at Adelaide Oval, the hosts Australia are set to welcome Rohit Sharma’s India at the traditional pace-paradise wicket of Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test. Both teams will take on each other in the third assignment of the ongoing high-voltage Border Gavaskar Trophy from December 14 onwards.

The first look of Gabba’s green top has been revealed, and pictures are already surfacing in the media, with some ‘hard and fast-lined’ questions about how team India will survive here. The questions are rising because of the visitors' miserable batting performance in the second Test, in which they failed to tackle the Aussies in both innings.

Besides that, another failure or a tough time is also looking on the cards for the out-of-form Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and his senior teammate Virat Kohli. The duo couldn't live up to its stature in the second Test in Adelaide. 

Here’s a first glimpse of Gabba’s wicket ahead of Australia vs India 3rd Test: 

Meanwhile, Brisbane’s pitch curator David Sandurski has spoken about the surface ahead of the big clash between Australia and India. He briefly came up with some points explaining the nature of the track and his variability throughout the different times in a calendar year.

“Different times of year make it different, it can be a slightly different pitch, pitches later in the season might have a bit more wear and tear while ones early in the season usually are a bit fresher and might have a bit more in them,” said Sandurski to the Australian press ahead of third Test commencing on this weekend.

“Generally speaking, we still prepare the pitch the same way every time to try and get the same good carry, pace and bounce that the Gabba is known for. We are just trying to make a traditional Gabba wicket like we do each year,” he added later.

However, predicting something solid might be too early as the nature of the wicket during the first day of the first Test in Perth was also highly favourable for the pacers. But as the game proceeded, it turned out to be a batters’ den and India completely trapped the hosts in their web.