Injury-ravaged India need 324 runs to seal a fairy-tale victory in the fourth Test decider against Australia as an epic series reaches its finale at the Gabba.
At the end of a rain-hit Day 4, India's batsmen were left to contemplate a wicket laden with ominous cracks while Australia fretted over the fitness of pace spearhead Mitchell Starc.
Rain brought an end to Monday's play after only 1.5 overs of India's second innings after tea. The tourists, after bowling Australia out for 294, were four for no loss at stumps chasing an unlikely target of 328.
Australia have a maximum of 98.1 overs to beat India and seal the series 2-1, but it was only a week ago that the home side failed to knock over Ajinkya Rahane's team in 131 overs in the drawn Sydney Test.
The hosts must win the match to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar trophy, while holders India need only a draw to retain it two years after their breakthrough 2-1 win in the 2018/19 series in Australia.
Compounding the challenge, Australia's attack may also be undermanned, with left-armer Starc seen clutching his hamstring.
"One thing I know about Mitchell is he’s tough," Australia batsman Steve Smith told reporters. "He has played through some injuries before and got the job done so he’ll be hopefully good to go tomorrow.
"The wicket is certainly different to what it is in Sydney. There’s a bit more happening here. We saw a few balls shoot up today, a couple kept a bit low, a couple went off cracks which is always playing on the batters’ mind."
The highest successful chase in a Gabba Test was in 1951 when Australia finished 236 for seven, but there have been big scores in recent years.
Pakistan racked up 450 in the fourth innings at the Gabba in a lost cause in 2016.
In a series that has produced a string of unlikely Indian heroes, Mohammed Siraj, the de facto pace leader in only his third test, finished with an innings haul of 5-73 on Monday, taking the wind out of Australia's sails as they tried to quicken their scoring.
The moment Mohammed Siraj broke through for his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket! @VodafoneAU | #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/xZgHvrVgZE
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 18, 2021
It has been an emotionally draining tour for the 26-year-old who lost his father in November but stayed on to make his Test debut in Melbourne.
His mental strength was further tested in Sydney, where a section of the crowd targeted him, prompting an investigation into India's allegation of racial abuse of some of their players.
Heading into Brisbane, Siraj found himself leading a depleted Indian pace attack that included Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini, both of whom had played only one Test, plus debutant T Natarajan.
"I'm grateful I got this opportunity to play for India and managed a five-for. I wish my father was around to see it," an emotional Siraj told a video conference.
"It was tough after he passed away. I spoke to my family and gained strength after talking to my mother. My focus was to fulfil my father's dream of me playing a Test match for India."
Smith was one of Siraj's victims, out for 55 when he gloved a catch to Rahane after a ball pinged steeply off the wicket. Thakur finished with 4-61.
