‘Scary’ scenes as Indian coach hit in the head before play as Australia and India continue third Test at Gabba

Ahead of Day 2, there were worrying scenes at the Gabba when an Indian assistant coach was hit in the head by a ball during a warm-up.

Nuwan Seneviratne was helping prepare the team by throwing balls downfield when disaster struck.

As he went to catch a ball, he was blinded by another ball from a different direction, which hit him in the side of the head.

Seneviratne fell to the turf as the Indian team rushed to his rescue.

He spent several minutes on the ground before leaving the park with an ice pack against his face.

Sports reporter Tom Morris wrote on social media: ‘An Indian support staff member was just hit in the head with a cricket ball while conducting a fielding exercise. He was wearing a baseball glove and either did not see or misjudged the pitch.

The assistant coach was hit in the side of the head and remained on the deck for several minutes

‘Players rushed to check if everything was OK. The medical staff is with him now. After about five minutes he stood up with an ice pack on his right cheek/jaw. Scary things.”

Meanwhile, play has resumed at the Gabba for the third Test between Australia and India after Saturday was wiped out.

Better conditions are expected on Sunday and while there is likely to be some juice in the wicket early on, any advantage India may have gained by bowling first at lunch could be negated.

In an opening session on Saturday, with a 30-minute delay due to rain, Australia shone early as Usman Khawaja played with a real sense of purpose to be 19 not out.

Dismissed 25 times in Test cricket since his last century at the start of the 2023 Ashes, Khawaja played with great intent and twice drew Mohammed Siraj to the boundary.

He also clipped Jasprit Bumrah for another four at fine leg, with India’s batting weapon guilty of bowling too straight at times.

Nathan McSweeney was also not next to Khawaja on four when the heavy rain hit, having survived his first session at his boyhood ‘home’, the Gabba.

India would have been frustrated to go without a wicket after captain Rohit Sharma had no hesitation in sending Australia into bat.

Fortunately, Seneviratne was then able to get up and walk away

Siraj in particular bowled too short in his first spell, before moving the ball around more in his second and beating the outside edge of Khawaja’s bat.

The tourists had earlier made two changes with seamer Akash Deep and spinner Ravindra Jadeja coming in for Harshit Rana and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Jadeja’s call-up means India have used three spinners in the first three Tests, with Washington playing Sundar in Perth and Ashwin in Adelaide.

Australia’s only change from the 10-wicket win in Adelaide was the immediate return of Josh Hazlewood from a side strain.

His selection leaves Scott Boland as Australian cricket’s unlucky man, having now played in just 11 of a possible 34 Tests since his magical debut in 2021.

Minimal rain is forecast for Sunday, but there is a threat of bad weather over the final three days of the Test.