Daniel Vettori, Australia's assistant coach, has admitted that the ongoing Brisbane Test between Australia and India will likely end in a draw after the hosts failed to enforce a follow-on on day 4.

Australia wasted their first chance in 23 years to force a follow-on against India, owing to an unbeaten 39-run partnership between tailenders Akash Deep (27*) and Jasprit Bumrah (10*), who resisted the hosts and guided India to 246 runs, avoiding the follow-on. Australia scored 445 in the first innings of the rain-soaked Test match.

Australia had last made India follow on in the infamous 2001 Kolkata Test, which the Steve Waugh-led side lost thanks to brilliance from VVS Laxman (281) and Rahul Dravid (180). Harbhajan Singh had picked 13 wickets including the first-ever Test hat-trick by an Indian.

Australia assistant coach, Daniel Vettori, has admitted that with just a day left in the third Test in Brisbane, a draw is the most likely result in the offing.

"I think the only way to force the game was to force the follow-on. There was a desperation to get that final wicket. We thought we had a really good chance when Jadeja was dismissed, but it was a real fighting partnership from Bumrah and Deep,” Vettori told reporters after stumps on day four.

The five-Test Border Gavaskar Trophy currently stands at 1-1, after India won the opener in Perth by 295 runs and Australia leveled things up with a 10-wicket win in the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval.

Vettori added that Brisbane weather and rain have caused a lot of frustration for both the teams as it has reduced the Test to a stop-start affair on all four days so far.

"Unfortunately, just the amount of time that’s been lost from the game has made it difficult (to force a result),” he added.

Australia has also lost the services of Josh Hazlewood, who went off the field with a calf injury and has reportedly been ruled out of the rest of the BGT 2024 series.

(PTI inputs)