Australia and India will head to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test with the five-match Border-Gavaskar series locked at one-all after bad light and heavy Brisbane rain swept away any chance of an outcome on the final day of the third Test at the Gabba.

India added eight to their overnight total before they were bowled out for 260, with Travis Head claiming the final wicket when he had Akash Deep stumped for 31. It had been a crucial knock in the context of the match, given it had denied the Australians a chance at enforcing the follow-on and the possibility of an extended crack at India across the final day.

As it unfolded however, any outcome other than a draw never seemed realistic with the constant and lengthy rain delays that had marred this match continuing throughout day five.

Australia’s second innings finally got underway just after lunch, and after Nathan McSweeney squirted a couple of rare runs off Jasprit Bumrah through gully, Usman Khawaja stood tall at the other end to crash his first delivery off Akash through point for four.

The runs didn’t last for either opener however, as Bumrah quickly intervened. The Indian paceman, who has with Head been the dominant figure of this series, came around the wicket to the left-handed Khawaja and had him chopping on for eight. For the opening batter, who celebrates his 38th birthday today, it continued a torrid run; among all openers in Australia in the past 50 years to have played at least six innings in a series, his average of 12.60 is the lowest.

Marnus Labuschagne (1) and McSweeney (4) have both been having a tough time of things through this Border-Gavaskar series as well and both were out in similar fashion – albeit to different bowlers (Labuschagne to Bumrah, McSweeney to Akash), wafting outside their off stump and nicking to Pant.

Australia promoted Mitchell Marsh (2) in the name of quick runs but it was a strategy that quickly back-fired when the allrounder also nicked off to Akash.

After hours of watching the rain fall, suddenly the contest was moving at breakneck speed, and Steve Smith (4), in at No.6, looked set to continue his fine first-innings form when he advanced down the track and lofted Mohammed Siraj over wide mid-off for four.

But from the very next ball Smith tickled a leg-side edge through to Pant – who held a fourth catch – and Australia were 5-33. Suddenly, after days of being frustrated by the Brisbane weather, the hosts would have been forgiven for performing a rain dance.

The in-form Head was at that point joined by the in-form Alex Carey and the South Australian pair looked to stop the rot by upping the aggression. In fact, with each wicket, the Australian innings only seemed to become more frenetic.

When Head skied one to hand Pant a fifth catch, Pat Cummins came to the middle and swung lustily from the outset. A couple of sixes later and he had breezed past Carey, though his 10-ball stay ended on 22 when he too skied one, KL Rahul this time doing the catching as Bumrah claimed his 21st wicket of the series.

Cummins stopped on his way off to speak with Carey, and given the nature of the innings he had just played, it seemed likely a declaration was on the mind of the skipper.

Five balls later, he gave the signal; Carey (19no) and Mitchell Starc (2no) scurried off with Australia 7-89, and India were left requiring 275 from a maximum of 54 overs.

Given the approaching storm, it all seemed a little immaterial, but it had certainly been entertaining. 

At 2.20pm Starc took the new ball to Yashasvi Jaiswal but just 2.1 overs into the innings, with India 0-8 and the storm clouds circling the Gabba, that was all she wrote. Honours even, then, and onto Boxing Day at the MCG, where India have won their past two Tests.

NRMA Insurance Men’s Test Series v India

First Test: India won by 295 runs

Second Test: Australia won by 10 wickets

Third Test: Match drawn

Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10.30am AEDT

Fifth Test: January 3-7: SCG, Sydney, 10.30am AEDT

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Brendan Doggett, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal