Nathan Lyon's hunt for a 400th Test wicket has become an agonising one after the Australian spinner endured a fruitless day at the Gabba.
Playing his 100th Test, Lyon is stuck on 397 scalps thanks to a defiant Indian squad that have thwarted the offspinner like no touring side has done before.
With just seven wickets for the series across 156 overs, Lyon's strike-rate of 133.7 is his worst in a home Test series.
Five dropped chances and an SCG wicket that offered little haven't helped, Lyon was unable to generate a genuine chance on day three in Brisbane on Sunday as India rallied to 336.
The 33-year-old had looked on track after picking up opener Rohit Sharma on Saturday in his third over, but finished with 1-65 as Josh Hazlewood (5-57) did the damage.
The former groundsman, who famously took a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket on debut in Sri Lanka in 2011, is hoping a cracking Gabba pitch will aid him when Australia chase a series-clinching victory on Monday and Tuesday.
Hazlewood isn't holding his breath for his teammate though, expecting their four-pronged pace battery to be more effective later this week.
"I don't think it's going to help him too much, to be honest," he said.
"It's probably more the quicks and a few cracks opening up ... we didn't see a great deal of spin.
"He played a bit of a holding role, as he does on occasions, and did it beautifully.
"Wickets will come at some stage if he just keeps bowling in the right areas but obviously Indians are great players of spin as well, and we've seen that throughout the series."
Lyon would be just the third Australian behind Shane Warne (708) and Glenn McGrath (563) to pass the 400-wicket mark and just the second spin bowler from outside the subcontinent to achieve the feat.
He's also two wickets away from joining Warne, McGrath and Dennis Lillee as the only bowlers to claim 200 or more Test wickets in Australia.
Australian Associated Press
