Head Blazes Century as Australia reach 234-3 in third India Test

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Travis Head blasted a brilliant 103 not out and Steve Smith made an unbeaten half-century to propel Australia to 234-3 at tea on the second day of the third Test against India on Sunday.

After all but 13.2 overs of the first day were washed out on Saturday in Brisbane, Head and Smith batted through the middle session to put Australia firmly in charge with their unbeaten 159-run partnership.

Smith, after struggling for much of his innings, reached 65 in his first half-century since making 91 not out against the West Indies in January, again at the Gabba.

Head was simply superb, taking the attack right up to the Indians, who had troubled all the other Australian batsmen in the hot and humid conditions.

The Indian attack threw themselves much more directly at Head than they did in Adelaide – where he hit a scintillating 140 in a big Australian win – but he was alert early on and punished any loose delivery.

As his scoring rate increased, the Indian bowlers began to struggle and Head took full advantage, smashing 13 fours and taking just 115 deliveries en route to his ninth Test century.

He was particularly harsh on recalled spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who bowled nine fruitless overs for 35 runs.

Australia resumed the day on 28-0, losing the wickets of Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne in the extended first session.

The Indian bowlers, who were wasteless in their short outing on Saturday, were much tighter on Sunday.

Khawaja has struggled for runs at the top of the order and he had a torrid time playing and missing the dangerous Jasprit Bumrah.

He added just two to his 19 overnight before Bumrah finally pulled through the weakest edges to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant to leave Australia 31-1.

Bumrah struck again in his next over as McSweeney (9) took a simple catch to Virat Kohli at second slip.

Labuschagne and Smith set about deciding the innings, but with both players well below their best heading into the Test, the scoring rate was slow against the disciplined Indian attack.

Labuschagne faced 55 balls on his way to making 12 when he uncharacteristically went for an expansive drive from Nitish Kumar Reddy, only to get a thick edge to Kohli, who took a crisp catch at second slip.

The series of five games is tied at 1-1.