BRISBANE, Australia — A day filled with rain at the Gabba on Tuesday has all but sealed the fate of the third cricket test between Australia and India, with a draw seeming increasingly likely as the match reaches its conclusion.

As the fourth day unfolded, India found itself at 252-9 in its first innings, still trailing Australia’s total of 445 runs from their first innings by 193 runs. Importantly, India managed to avoid following on by scoring a late surge of runs, allowing them to force Australia to bat again, which places the match on a trajectory towards a likely draw by the time the fifth day wraps up on Wednesday.

This third match has been characterized as a key test in the five-match series, which is now level at 1-1. However, persistent rain has disrupted play significantly, leading to Cricket Australia offering ticket refunds to roughly 35,000 attendees who were present on the first day due to insufficient overs being bowled.

KL Rahul emerged as the top scorer for India, contributing 84 runs before being dismissed after a catch by Steve Smith from Nathan Lyon’s bowling. A notable partnership between tail-end batsmen Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep was crucial, helping India elevate their total from 213-9 to 252-9 by the end of play. For Australia to secure victory, they need to dismiss one more Indian batsman on the final day and will have the option of batting again or risking a declaration that could lead to a potential loss if India is successful in chasing down the runs required.

Unfortunately, the match has been plagued by rain, as only 13 overs were played on the first day Saturday, followed by eight interruptions due to rain on the third day. Similar weather issues resumed on Tuesday, leading to delays in starting after lunch, and shortly thereafter play was halted again after just two overs. With only 58 overs bowled on Tuesday, bad light ultimately brought an end to the day’s play.

Adding to Australia’s challenges, pacer Josh Hazlewood is likely to be unavailable for the remainder of the match due to calf soreness, which surfaced ahead of the fourth day. He was only able to bowl one over before leaving the field. Hazlewood had previously missed the second test in Adelaide due to side soreness and appeared to struggle when he returned to the attack.

In the series so far, India claimed victory in the first test by a substantial 295 runs in Perth, only for Australia to respond strongly with a ten-wicket win in the second day-night match held in Adelaide.