Australia vs India quick hits: Steve Smith breaks his drought and Mohammed Siraj fiddles with Marnus Labuschagne's bails on day two at the Gabba

Mohammed Siraj is at the centre of another mid-pitch moment, while Travis Head and Jasprit Bumrah continue to carry their sides.

Here are the quick hits from the first day at the Gabba.

1. Bumrah's back

Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets in his opening spell. (Getty Images: Cricket Australia/Matt Roberts)

We didn't get much cricket on day one, so a very small sample size from which to draw conclusions.

But there was a feeling that Jasprit Bumrah was just a little bit off in his six overs.

Too short, too wide and not as threatening as we have become accustomed to over the course of this series so far.

On day two though, he was on.

Balls whizzed past the outside edge of Usman Khawaja's bat, until one took the faintest of edges through to Rishabh Pant behind the stumps, Khawaja departing for the addition of just 2 to his overnight score.

In Bumrah's next over, McSweeney went the same way, edging to Virat Kohli at second slip this time.

Within half an hour of the resumption, both Australia's openers were back in the sheds. And Bumrah? He was just back.

When the second new ball arrived, he did it again, coming back on to take three quick wickets and complete is five-wicket haul, taking his tally for the series to 17.

2. Siraj vs Marnus II

Mohammed Siraj and Marnus Labuschagne had a brief exchange. (Getty Images: Bradley Kanaris)

After all the drama with Travis Head, you could easily forgot that the drama with Mohammed Siraj started with Marnus Labuschagne when they got chirpy in the middle of the pitch on the first night in Adelaide.

Well, they got into it again in Brisbane, with Siraj booed relentlessly by the Gabba crowd and Queenslander Labuschagne fighting for his wicket.

Tensions rose and then took a turn for the bizarre when, after a regulation leave, Siraj strode down towards Labuschagne, getting right into his face.

As it turned out, Siraj's target was behind Labuschagne — the stumps.

The Indian quick just about brushed shoulders with Labuschagne as he reached past him to switch the bails around.

As Siraj returned to his mark, Labuschagne casually switched them back, bringing back memories of Stuart Broad's miraculous bail switch that immediately yielded wickets in last year's Ashes.

And while it wasn't as instantaneous this time …

3. Labuschagne wasn't even supposed to be here

Perhaps Labuschagne's concentration was broken by the exchange with Siraj, because in the next over he nicked off to Nitish Kumar Reddy.

And, to make matters worse, he almost wasn't even there.

The previous ball, Steve Smith had whacked a ball through the leg side and Bumrah made an absolute meal of cleaning it up — bending down to stop the ball on the rope, falling onto his knees, then toppling over the boundary and onto all fours.

The ball narrowly missed trickling onto his right leg as the Indian quick had his hand over the rope, but the Aussie pair thought it was four.

Alas, after the video replay, they were forced to switch places, with Labuschagne ushered to the striker's end, promptly flashing at a wide ball and sending a catch sailing to Virat Kohli in the slips.

4. Smith breaks his drought

Steve Smith has survived a couple of close calls. (Getty Images: Bradley Kanaris)

Aside from COVID and a mysterious period from March 2018 to the 2019 Ashes, Steve Smith has never been as century-parched as he was coming into this Border-Gavaskar series.

Since becoming a regular member of the Test side in March 2013, Smith had never come close to the 535-day gap between centuries that he ended on day two in Brisbane.

Effectively 18 months ago he scored 110 against England in the second Ashes Test at Lord's and since then he lost his form, moved to opener, came back to four and on Saturday rediscovered something resembling peak Smith.

He was one of the many Australian top-order batters under the pump coming into the series and, like Marnus Labuschagne's 64 in Adelaide, gritted his way through to a drought-breaking and tension-relieving ton.

No wonder he looked equal parts happy and fiercely determined after reaching his century. And just as miserable when he fell just one run later.

5. Head of the snake

Travis Head has been holding up Australia's batting this whole series. (Getty Images: Bradley Kanaris)

Travis Head was on an astonishing run of outs at the Gabba leading into this Test.

After scoring 92 as all around him collapsed on a green seamer against South Africa in 2022, Head had been dismissed by his last four deliveries in Tests in Brisbane, including three straight golden ducks.

Not only did he stop that deeply unfortunate trend, he did it in emphatic fashion, reaching 50 before Steve Smith despite arriving at the crease 15 overs after him, then exploding from 50 to 100 in just 44 balls and powering through the next 50 in 45.

By the time he fell for 152 off 157, his runs tally for the series was a whopping 392 at an average of 98.

Not bad considering he's come in repeatedly with his team under the pump at 3-19 and 4-17 in Perth, 3-103 in Adelaide, and 3-75 in Brisbane.

The biggest Australia-India moments

Throughout the summer, we'll look back at some of the best stories and share our own favourite moments from Australia and India's cricket history.

Join us to continue the conversation on our live blogs and on the radio over the summer before the readers' top 10 is revealed ahead of the fifth Test at the SCG from January 3.

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