PLAY DONE FOR THE DAY: 9.30 am IST start for the rest of three days.

UPDATE via CA: The umpires are inspecting the wicket... and the rain is still falling lightly. Umpires have to make a call by 10pm local time (29 minutes)

Play stopped: India 132/1

Play stopped: India 132/1 at tea. In case you are wondering, there is still no official update.

Not so good news.

Play stopped: India 132/1 at tea. The umpire’s were seen inspecting the outfield, hopefully some update soon.

UPDATE: Tea has been taken, play to resume at 3.50 pm IST if possible

Play stopped, India 132/1: Well, clearly not a short break as we first thought. The umpires were seen checking the smartphone that the groundstaff had, presumably looking at the radar. But for now, no updates.

India 132/1 after 44.1 overs: Another shower, players are walking off. But as the cover comes on, seems like it has stopped again. Sigh.

India 132/1 (Smriti Mandhana 80, Punam Raut 16) Raut too is not letting the bad balls go, taking on Gardner down the ground for four. Sutherland will begin her Test bowling career now and starts off with a maiden over, same sort of plans as McGrath.

India 128/1 (Smriti Mandhana 80, Punam Raut 11) A packed field inside the (imaginary) ring on the offside as Tahlia McGrath now starts to work the angle to Smriti Mandhana. The moment it is close enough to her though, Mandhana is pouncing on it. Pulled away again for four. On to 80*, her highest score in Test cricket.

India 123/1 (Smriti Mandhana 76, Punam Raut 11) Long break, play resumes with pink ball under lights fully taken effect... first over, Smriti Mandhana swivels and hits a six. Good stuff. Australia persist, oddly enough, with Gardner from the other end.

Here we go, Tahlia McGrath will pick up where we left off.

More official updates: Play is scheduled to recommence at 2.50 pm IST. Tea will now be taken at 4:15 pm to 4.35 pm IST. Final session will be till 6.00 pm IST with an additional 30 minutes allowed. 87 minimum overs are required for the day

Update: Looks like start of play is imminent.

Play stopped: Scorecard

Bat Runs Balls SR 4s
Smriti Mandhana* 70 129 54.26 14
Shafali Verma c Tahlia McGrath b Sophie Molineux 31 64 48.43 4
Punam Raut* 8 44 18.18 0
Total (Extras: 5) 114

PLAY STOPPED: With lightning in the area, the players walked off the field. Soon rain has started to fall. As forecast, weather has interrupted play with the play fascinatingly poised under lights. India 114/1 after 39.3 overs.

PLAY STOPPED: With rain in the air, this was imminent. It would seem the play has been stopped due to lightning in the area, that usually calls for an immediate suspension.

India 114/1 (Smriti Mandhana 70, Punam Raut 8) Gardner continues from one end and it would seem Raut is looking to be a bit more positive against the spinner. A lofted shot over mid-off, plugs in the outfield.

India 111/1 (Smriti Mandhana 70, Punam Raut 5) More tight bowling by Gardner. She is bowling with a silly mid-off in place for Mandhana, seems like a clear plan to get her driving. Earlier, Mandhana helped herself to a boundary in McGrath’s over through midwicket.

India 106/1 (Smriti Mandhana 66, Punam Raut 4) Interestingly, it’s Gardner from the other end. Surely needs to be all seam now? Perhaps Lanning wants control from one end. A nervy quick single in that over.

India 105/1 (Smriti Mandhana 65, Punam Raut 4) In no time, movement with the pink ball under lights. McGrath beats Raut’s outside edge with a peach.

The lights are kicking in already and it will be seam straight away for Australia. Tahlia McGrath with the ball in hand

Players are out for the second session. Thankfully the weather seems to have held.

Innings break: 101/1 after 33 overs after first session

END OF SESSION 1, DAY 1: Time for the dinner break. What a start for India after losing the toss at Gold Coast. Smriti Mandhana started off brilliantly, steadied in the second half when Aussies built pressure. 101/1 after 33 overs

India 101/1 (Smriti Mandhana 64, Punam Raut 1) Gardner and Molineux continue to operate in the tandem. Mandhana, though not scoring freely, is playing confident shots.

STAT: Smriti Mandhana already has the highest Test score by an Indian woman against Australia in Australia. 58 was the previous best.

India 99/1 (Smriti Mandhana 63, Punam Raut 0) From 55 off 53 balls to 62 off 95, a boundary after a while for Smriti Mandhana. Cut past point. Session of two halves from her, but she has actually looked much more compact in the second half even if the runs dried up. India need her to bat through.

OVER 25.1: WICKET! Shafali Verma (31) c Tahlia McGrath b Sophie Molineux, 93/1

After packing the team with pace bowling options, Australia have spin from both ends within the first 25 overs. And just like that, Molineux gets the deserved first wicket. Plan B works like a treat for Meg Lanning. And just like we were wondering a minute back, the patience test goes against Shafali. A wild hoick, caught at long off.

India 93/0 (Smriti Mandhana 57, Shafali Verma 31) Rain break imminent it would seem, lights coming on we are told.

India 91/0 (Smriti Mandhana 57, Shafali Verma 29) what Australia have done well in the last 20 minutes or so is to dry up the boundary balls. McGrath and Molineux are keeping things tight as the pace-spin combo has for now put the brakes on run-scoring. Perhaps a test to see if either of these openers lose their patience.

India 81/0 (Smriti Mandhana 55, Shafali Verma 26) Another delightful four for Mandhana through cover in McGrath’s over. And for the second time in two overs for Molineux, a dropped catch! This is a sitter though, Sutherland lost flight of it at mid-on.

India 76/0 (Smriti Mandhana 51, Shafali Verma 25) Spin early for Australia, and almost a breakthrough. Meg Lanning cannot hold on to a sharp chance as Shafali Verma’s outside edge goes between WK and slip. Sophie Molineux unlucky there.

India 70/0 (Smriti Mandhana 51, Shafali Verma 19) FIFTY FOR SMRITI MANDHANA! Just before the first hour is complete at Gold Coast, Smriti Mandhana reaches her third Test half century. An innings filled with some brilliant shots, 11 fours so far. Fittingly, Smriti Mandhana gets to her third Test fifty with the most Smriti Mandhana of all shots. A drive through cover.

India 66/0 (Smriti Mandhana 47, Shafali Verma 19) Campbell with an expensive over now as Shafali gets going with a four past point and then a glance off her hips. The short stuff is not working for Australians, they have wasted a new ball it feels like. A change of length is needed.

India 58/0 (Smriti Mandhana 47, Shafali Verma 11) Perry has been solid for the most part, but strays on the pads every now and then and Mandhana doesn’t miss out. Another four.

STAT ALERT: For the second time in their three innings together as Test openers, a fifty-plus opening partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma.

India 54/0 (Smriti Mandhana 43, Shafali Verma 11) Another short ball to Mandhana gone wrong, as the Indian opener helps herself to a boundary behind square. She is into the 40s with rain clouds around.

After EIGHT fours for Smriti Mandhana, the FIRST four for Shafali Verma. Who would have thought.

India 43/0 (Smriti Mandhana 37, Shafali Verma 6) End of 10 overs and India going nicely. First bowling change sees Stella Campbell deliver a tidy over, Mandhana beaten on the angle. As good as she has been so far, she has kept those behind the wickets interested throughout.

India 42/0 (Smriti Mandhana 37, Shafali Verma 5) Another boundary for SM and it is a streaky one past slips. A couple of outside edges in that Perry over. She just needs to be careful at pushing deliveries from the angle.

India 37/0 (Smriti Mandhana 33, Shafali Verma 4) Smriti Mandhana is taking the attack to Australia. A flurry of boundaries for her in this innings, seven already... and FOUR fours in that Darcie Brown over! One was driven uppishly past gully but the rest in full control. Divine play through offside.

India 21/0 (Smriti Mandhana 15, Shafali Verma 4) Brown and Perry continues to keep things simple, Shafali showing good patience so far. Interestingly, not too much off the pitch so far. Just movement in the air here and there. India would be happy with that.

India 19/0 (Smriti Mandhana 15, Shafali Verma 4) Perry squares up Shafali completely, straightens one to beat the outside edge. The Indian misses out on a juicy full toss on her pads later.

India 19/0 (Smriti Mandhana 15, Shafali Verma 4) One of the impressive things about Shafali’s Test debut was her defensive solidity. She is showing that here despite that one massive outside edge. Mandhana tested by a bouncer that loops over her harmlessly.

India 18/0 (Smriti Mandhana 15, Shafali Verma 3) Lucky for Shafali! A proper outside edge, doesn’t quite carry to the slip fielders, goes between two. She plays a lovely off drive to get off the mark in that over. Another boundary for Smriti, leg glance for four. Perry bowling that one or two balls in the over down the leg, like she did in the ODIs too.

India 11/0 (Smriti Mandhana 11, Shafali Verma 0) Darcie Brown drops short, pulled away by Mandhana for the first four. Misfield later gives India a couple of more runs, followed by a streaky outside past gully for another four.

India 1/0 (Smriti Mandhana 1, Shafali Verma 0): On the money, Perry in that first over. Except for one that drifted wide, really good lines and lengths. Good judgement from Smriti to leave one that came back in.

The main story of India’s Bristol performance was the debutants stepping up in various roles. Can Yastika Bhatia and Meghna Singh continue that in Gold Coast?

Dogged debut: How Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia won the epic England draw

NATIONAL ANTHEMS DONE: We are all set at Gold Coast. Smriti-Shafali will get us going. Ellyse Perry will swing the new ball for sure, she will start off proceedings.

Confirmed playing XIs

India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Punam Raut, Mithali Raj (c), Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad

Australia: Alyssa Healy (wk), Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning (c), Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Darcie Brown, Stella Campbell

TEAM NEWS:

Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Darcie Brown and Stella Campbell are the debutants for Australia as the hosts pack their side with allrounders as expected. For India, from their previous Test, a couple of significant changes. Shikha Pandey continues to be in the sidelines. One of the heroes of Bristol, Sneh Rana, is left out as well. Yastika Bhatia, Meghna Singh rewarded for good ODI performances. And still no Jemimah Rodrigues.

9.43 am: A brilliant promo on 7 Cricket (even if it features the ruled out Rachael Haynes) talking about the Baggy Green. Not to begin on a sour note, but while Lanning walked out with her proud Baggy Green and the Aussie blazer, Mithali Raj just had her regular white kits. Wonder if the BCCI forgot to get a blazer for the Indian captain.

TEAM NEWS: Four Test debutants for Australia, two for India. Yastika Bhatia and Meghna Singh will make their Test debuts on the back of their impressive performances in the ODI series.

TOSS: White ball, pink ball, etc so on... Meg Lanning wins the toss against Mithali Raj. The Indian captain has lost her fourth toss on the tour! Australia will be bowling first, no surprise.

09.20 am: Hello and welcome to our live coverage of an exciting day for Indian cricket. The women’s national team will play their first ever pink-ball, day-night Test match.

Having not played in the longest format since 2014, India have their second match in 2021. And if we get a game as interesting as the one in Bristol earlier in England, we would have a cracker on the cards.

Australia, who played in the only day-night Test so far against England in November 2017, also go into the game with limited practice but their potent pace attack will be looking forward to make their mark on a pitch expected to have green tinge.

India did well in their first Test outing in seven years, drawing against England in June, but the players and experts believe the skiddy pink-ball will pose a much tougher challenge for the visitors.

Dogged debut: How Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia won the epic England draw

India and Australia last played a Test in 2006 with only Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami featuring in that game among the current players on both sides. It was an innings defeat for the Indians back then, with Lisa Sthalekar winning player of the match in Adelaide.