PERTH, Australia — Australia found itself in a tough spot on the first day of the Border-Gavaskar series, ending at 67-7 in response to India’s total of 150 all out. The pitch at Perth Stadium, known for its grass and bounce, caused 17 wickets to fall on Friday, making it a challenging day for batters.
Indian captain Jasprit Bumrah was the standout performer, taking 4 wickets for just 17 runs. His teammate, fast bowler Mohamed Siraj, supported well by claiming 2 wickets for 17 runs as batting proved to be difficult on the lively pitch.
As play resumes on Saturday, Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc will be at the crease for Australia, with scores of 19 and 6, respectively, leaving the team trailing India by 83 runs.
Heavy rains in the week before the test match led to a thick layer of grass on the pitch, which combined with its characteristic bounce challenged the batsmen significantly. Bumrah made his mark early, dismissing Nathan McSweeney on his debut with an lbw decision, and shortly after took the crucial wickets of Usman Khawaja (8) and the renowned Steve Smith, who failed to score. Khawaja was caught by Virat Kohli, while Bumrah trapped Smith in front of the wicket.
Travis Head ended Bumrah’s hopes of a hat-trick but fell soon after, bowled for 11 by debutant Harshit Rana, who secured his first Test wicket. Siraj then got Mitchell Marsh out, caught by KL Rahul, leaving Australia in a precarious situation, reminiscent of India’s struggles earlier in the day.
Marnus Labuschagne had a tough outing as well, surviving a dropped catch early on but managed only two runs from 52 deliveries before he was dismissed by Siraj. As the day progressed, Bumrah made a swift return to remove Australian captain Pat Cummins, caught by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
In the first two sessions, Australian bowler Josh Hazlewood made a significant impact with 4 wickets for 29 runs, exceeding even the contributions of his teammates Mitchell Starc (2-24), Cummins (2-67), and Marsh (2-12).
India was at a lowly 73-6 just before lunch but managed to recover slightly, thanks to Rishabh Pant (37) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (41), who put together a vital 48-run partnership for the eighth wicket. Despite the tough conditions, Reddy’s attacking style saw him score six fours and a six, before he was eventually dismissed by Khawaja after an impressive display.
Earlier in the innings, India’s decision to bat first turned out to be a challenge as it stumbled to 51-4 by lunch, with significant wickets falling cheaply. Rahul, filling in for Rohit Sharma, did manage to reach the milestone of 3,000 Test runs, but the day was dominated by the Australian bowlers.
Starc was particularly menacing in his opening spell, sending Jashasvi Jaisval packing for a duck. Hazlewood joined the attack and quickly dismissed Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli, the latter falling victim to a well-placed delivery that bounced unexpectedly.
As the first day concluded, both teams are currently vying for top spots in the World Test Championship standings, with fans eagerly anticipating the next day’s action.
