BRISBANE: The Gabbatoir was once the most intimidating cricket venue in the world. The first Test of the Aussie home season was usually held here to set the pace for the tour. The wicket was quick, the crowd was rough, and there was no more bellicose team in the world than Australia.
It is located in the heart of the city, and as you walk to the stadium in the morning you are joined by so many others - all eager to make some noise, all eager to get stuck in and not quietly flow by like the Brisbane River. The stadium itself sits on Vulture Street (the sign outside the Gabba reads 'Vulture St. One way') but the true feast only begins after Australia have battered the opposition on the field.
A venue, though, is only as intimidating as its team. And in the last few years, Australia has had a 50-50 record at Gabba, having won two and lost two since 2021. But on Sunday, that old feeling returned, the hum returned, to an extent as Travis Head (152 runs off 160 balls) and Steve Smith (101 off 190) lay into India in contrasting ways during a 241-run stand.
At close of play on Day 2, Australia had reached 405/7 with Alex Carey (45) and Mitchell Starc (7) at the crease.
This is a series being played in two parts - one, when India pacer Jasprit Bumrah is bowling and two, when Australia left-hander Travis Head is batting.
The first session got off to a stirring start thanks to Bumrah, who somehow just seems to know what is needed on a particular wicket. The Aussie openers were being watchful and sometimes against the genius pacer that is a counterproductive strategy.
He'll work the batter over, until he finally gets them, and that is what he did with Usman Khawaja (21) and Nathan McSweeney (9) in a first spell that read 5-3-4-2. It was pressure of the kind that the Indian pacer seems to exert at the drop of a hat.
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