India have to play their best cricket at the Gabba to win series: Harbhajan

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said the Rohit Sharma-led side will have to play their best cricket in the upcoming third Test at the Gabba to put themselves on the path of winning the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

India, who kicked off their trophy defence in style with a 295-run win in Perth, come into the third Test on the back of losing the second game at Adelaide by ten wickets. With the series locked at 1-1, the Gabba Test looms as a make or break one for India.

"If we look at this as a series of three matches, India has to win two out of these. Their best chances will be, I think, in Sydney and Melbourne. Anyway, if you play your best cricket at The Gabba and win there, then you will definitely win one match out of Melbourne or Sydney.

"So you should think about that. The equality of the first two Tests shows that both teams have the ability to come back. Australia has come back; now maybe it’s India’s turn to turn the tables," said Harbhajan on Star Sports.

Harbhajan also spoke on the ten-day gap between the first and second Tests playing a factor in halting India’s momentum. "This series is tough because both teams have had losses. What happened with Australia in Perth, maybe they didn’t expect it.

“And what happened with India in Adelaide, maybe India also didn’t expect it. Although there was a very long gap in the middle between the two Tests, sometimes such a gap spoils the momentum, and it happened here," the former spinner said.

With the series tied at 1-1, the third Test between India and Australia will be played in Brisbane from Saturday.