The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is squared at 1-all after one-sided Tests in Perth and Adelaide, with the third Test beginning in Brisbane on Saturday shaping as a pivotal match in what is proving to be another intriguing series between the two rivals.

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Under fire after a pair of failures in Perth, Marnus Labuschagne found a semblance of his best form in Adelaide. But star batters from both teams including Steve Smith, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill arrive at the Gabba looking for some much-needed runs.

The Gabba has been a happy hunting ground for Australia’s attack in the past, but they will need to reverse a recent trend in order to carry the momentum from Adelaide into what could prove a decisive encounter.

Here are Fox Cricket’s Burning Questions ahead of the Third Test.

CAN STEVE SMITH REVERSE A NINE-YEAR LOW?

Australia’s ten-wicket victory in Adelaide plastered over another disappointing performance from vice-captain Steve Smith, who is under mounting pressure to contribute with the bat.

The New South Welshman is in the midst of the longest century drought of his Test career — he has not reached triple figures since last year’s Ashes at Lord’s, which was 24 innings ago.

After two Tests against India this summer, Smith is yet to muster a boundary. In 2024, he has averaged 23.20, with just one fifty in seven Tests.

From his six most recent innings, he has a top score of 17. Aside from decimating India’s top order in Adelaide, Mitchell Starc has contributed more runs across the series thus far than the champion Australian batter.

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The 35-year-old’s Test batting average has dipped to 56.09, which is the lowest it has been since 2015. If not for his sparkling reputation and wealth of experience, there would be conjecture as to whether he is still in Australia’s best XI.

But despite approaching the 10,000-run milestone in Tests, Smith continues to tinker with his batting. His shuffle across the crease was less accentuated after his Perth golden duck and it earned praise from Fox Cricket analyst Brett Lee, who said it was evidence the No. 4 was still trying to solve problems.

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Smith’s Adelaide dismissal could be branded as unlucky, tickling a wayward delivery down the leg side. However, walking across his stumps and flicking the ball through mid-wicket used to be his biggest strength, most notably during the 2019 Ashes – now it’s a glaring weakness.

Getting trapped on the crease is a problem Smith has yet to solve — four of his eight most recent dismissals in Tests have been LBW.

As revealed by CricViz, from 2014 until the start of the 2023 Ashes, Smith averaged 40.35 against deliveries directed at his stumps, the highest figure for any batter in the game.

But since the opening Test of the 2023 Ashes, he has averaged 12 against such deliveries, losing his wicket every 20 balls.

Smith has enjoyed recent success at the Gabba, having notched an unbeaten 91 last summer against the West Indies. It is a venue where he averages 54.73 in Tests.

Murmurs about his future in the game will only grow in volume if he does not rediscover his best in the Queensland capital this week, but captain Pat Cummins predicted that his predecessor will bounce back.

“You look at his record (and the) stats would suggest (runs) are not far around the corner,” Cummins told reporters at the Gabba on Friday.

“In particular this year, he’s looking fantastic in the nets. (He is) just looking really sharp (and) looking like he’s got plenty of time doing all the right things like he always does.

“He got caught down the leg side last game. I don’t know (how) you can look into that too much, so I’m sure a big score’s just around the corner.”

— Nic Savage

WHERE WILL ROHIT SHARMA BAT FOR INDIA?

An ageing champion struggling for form amid questions about their future in Test cricket?

This time it is not an Australian in question, despite the spotlight on Smith and Usman Khawaja heading into the Gabba Test.

Instead the pressure is firmly on Indian captain Rohit Sharma following his less than dazzling return to the side in Adelaide.

Demoting himself to No. 6 after the superb deeds of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul in Perth, Sharma’s struggles with the bat continued.

In his past dozen innings, Sharma has a top score of 52 and had reached double digits just four times. His scores of 3 and 6 in Adelaide followed previous innings of 6, 5, 23, 8, 2, 52, 0, 8, 18 and 11, far below the output of a man who averages 41.54.

After his efforts in Adelaide, Fox Cricket expert analyst Kerry O’Keeffe pointed out that a tour of Australia is scarcely an easy task for a player at the peak of their powers, let alone a veteran struggling for form.

“It’s a tough gig to come here at 37 years of age. Rohit has averaged 13 in his last five Test matches (and has) a double failure in Adelaide,” he told foxsports.com.au.

“You could count on one hand the number of 37 year old-plusses who have come to Australia and had a significant effect on the series.”

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Questions have also arisen as to the position where Sharma should bat.

Indian broadcaster Harsha Bhogle said that having arrived in Australia, the skipper should be setting the tone from his preferred position at the top of the order. He has averaged 31.17 in 13 Tests against Australia.

Bhogle also pointed out it was unfair on Rahul, who had previously been told to ready himself to bat as a bridge between the middle and lower order, to be shifted about without any certainty.

Speaking at the Usman Khawaja Foundation lunch at the Gabba on Thursday, Fox Cricket analyst Ravi Shastri urged the skipper to open in Brisbane.

The former Indian coach and player told attendees that it was where Sharma was best suited as he searches for runs.

“It’s not that he’s going to set the world on fire — he could — but that’s the place that is best for him. To lead from the front,” Shastri said in comments reported by The Age.

“If he has to do damage, if he has to throw the first punch, that’s the best place from where he can do it. And it is important that India get their judgment right here, because 1-1 in the series, this is the moving Test match.”

— Courtney Walsh

HOW IS AUSTRALIA’S ATTACK POSITIONED FOR THE MOVING TEST?

When Australia last hosted India in Brisbane, a masterstroke from the tourists reaped the richest of rewards.

With the 2020/21 series squared at 1-1, the Indians were able to pull off a magnificent final day pursuit of 327 to clinch the series against almost the same attack which will feature again in the Third Test, with Mitchell Marsh the alternate to Cameron Green.

But that is where the similarities end, despite some concerning statistics unveiled by CricViz which demonstrate that the longer a series progresses, the worse off the Australian attack fares.

Code Sports reports that since 2018, Australia has won just over one in every four Tests it plays once a series reaches the third Test.

The ratio drops below one in five when the series extends to the fourth and fifth Tests, with the most recent Ashes series illustrative of this, so too the deciding Test when India last toured Australia.

Leading into the 2021 Test at the Gabba, Cheteshwar Pujara inspired his teammates to put their body on the line in a bid to exhaust the Aussies and it worked, with a couple of marathon stints at the crease at the SCG a factor in tiring out Pat Cummins and co in Brisbane.

But this time around the Aussies are far fresher, despite some lingering doubts surrounding Josh Hazlewood and Marsh.

While they were forced to bowl almost 135 overs in the second innings in Perth, they were requited to deliver only 80 in total in Adelaide.

After taking five wickets in the second innings in Adelaide, Cummins said he felt extremely fresh and ready to fire for the remainder of the series. Starc battled injury niggles last summer but has been in great rhythm from the opening day of this season.

Hazlewood was replaced by Scott Boland in Adelaide due to injury, while Marsh was only required to bowl four overs in Adelaide, which has given him more time to recover from a back issue that has troubled him since the ODI series in England in September.

And Nathan Lyon only needed to bowl one over in Adelaide.

Cummins said that Hazlewood, who missed the Adelaide Test with a side strain, had proven his fitness in a session at Allan Border Field on Thursday.

“He’s had no hiccups. (He) had a really good bowl yesterday (and) had a good bowl in Adelaide a couple of days ago. Him and the medical team are super confident,” he said.

Cricket Australia’s high performance team was subjected to some criticism as to whether the nation’s Test players arrived in Perth with enough cricket under their belt.

But everyone associated with the team put that shocker down to a bad day of the office and not a preparation tailored towards finishing the Border Gavaskar Trophy with a full head of steam. The merits of the approach will not be known for another three Tests.

But if the CricViz statistics are concerning, the Indians have reason to be worried as well given the overall record of Australia’s attack in Brisbane.

When it comes to wickets taken at the Gabba, Lyon, Cummins and Starc rank third, fourth and fifth behind legends Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.

Lyon, who is yet to play a significant role in this series, has taken 51 wickets at 28.31, Starc has 47 wickets at 28.93 and Cummins has 40 wickets at the exceptional average of 18.22.

As for Scott Boland, who will make way for Hazlewood despite his exceptional record in Australia, Cummins is confident he will feature once again at some stage this summer.

“It’s tough. He was fantastic in Adelaide and unfortunately he’s spent quite a lot of time on the bench in the last 18 months and whenever he plays he’s fantastic,” Cummins said.

“It’s a shame for Scotty, but there’s still a fair bit to play out this series, so I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t get another crack at some point.”

— Courtney Walsh

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SHUBMAN GILL OUTSIDE ASIA?

Shubman Gill was the find of the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, performing extremely well on debut at the MCG and then following that performance with a pivotal innings in India’s success during the unforgettable Gabba Test.

Playing in just his third Test, the rookie opener top-scored for the tourists in the fourth innings with a gritty 91 as India clinched a remarkable three-wicket victory in the Queensland capital.

But since that breakout performance, Gill has struggled with the bat outside of the subcontinent — the right-hander has averaged 19.00 across his eight most recent Tests outside Asia, failing to muster a half-century in 15 knocks.

Returning to the team for the pink-ball Test in Adelaide after injuring a thumb early in the tour, Gill made starts in both innings without converting either of them into substantial scores.

In the first innings, he was trapped plumb LBW by Scott Boland for 31, before Mitchell Starc uprooted his off stump with a vicious inswinging yorker the following evening when bowled out for 28.

Having been beaten on the inside edge on both occasions, Australia’s quicks will no doubt be targeting Gill’s front pad at the Gabba this week.

Gill looked elegant and composed during his brief stays at the crease, nailing a handful of drives through the covers, but India will need more from their No. 3 at the Gabba this week.

Earlier this year, the 25-year-old slid down to first drop in India’s Test side to accommodate opener Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order.

In the new role, Gill could take a leaf from the heroics of Pujara during the triumphant 2018/19 and 2020/21 tours, grinding down Australia’s pace bowlers and anchoring the innings.

Pujara frustrated Australia’s fatigued quicks for hours during India’s previous two visits, occupying the crease for what seemed an age.

That task has been handed over to Gill, but it remains to be seen whether he has the temperament and skill required to tame Australia’s bouncy decks.

— Nic Savage

BRISBANE — BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY … STORMY THE NEXT?

The weather forecast for Brisbane over the next five days is a little grim, but that certainly boosts the chances of this Test going the distance after the opening Test finished on the fourth day in Perth, while the Adelaide Test was over early on day three.

The Queensland capital is expected to be hit with showers between Saturday and Wednesday, which could frustrate players and fans over the coming days. Thunderstorms are predicted for Saturday, with a medium chance of showers for the remainder of the Test.

The dreary weather might work in India’s favour — should the Gabba Test end as a draw, the tourists would only need a victory in either Melbourne or Sydney to retain the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Australia will be pushing to force a result, and that’s where Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh could well come to the fore. The duo are renowned for their counterattacking batting, which could be required in Brisbane if overs are lost to rain.

Marsh underwent a decent stint in the nets at the Gabba on Friday, though after his match-winning heroics in Adelaide, Head opted against batting in the non-compulsory session.

But the expected rain may slow down the pitch’s deterioration, which would present a hurdle for Lyon to overcome.

The veteran off-spinner is a threat in all conditions and, as reported above, has an outstanding record at the Gabba. But he will have fewer cracks and footmarks to work with should the deck be peppered by rain over the coming days.

— Nic Savage