India vs Australia 1st Test Innings Report: Rarely does a team get bundled out for 150 or less in their first innings and still be ahead in the game. That kind of day it was in Perth as the BGT 2024-25 got underway in a thumping fashion, expectedly the show being run by the pacers.
17 wickets fell on day 1 at the Optus Stadium—all 17 to the pacers—and only 181 runs were scored as the famous seam movement of this venue had the batsmen clutching at the straws. There was 0.793 degrees of seam movement today, resulting in the batsmen averaging only 10.64. In layman terms, these were extremely difficult batting conditions but also a function of two ruthless bowling attacks and two out-of-form batting lineups.
The playing XI of the Indian cricket team for the Perth Test against Australia left everyone shocked as two of their greatest spin-bowling all-rounders, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin, were on the bench, while Washington Sundar, with an experience of six Test matches, got into the XI. Australia’s four left-handers in their top nine and Sundar being a better batsman than Ashwin might have gotten him the nod over the two senior spinners.
In Rohit Sharma’s absence, Jasprit Bumrah is leading the team while KL Rahul moved to the top. India handed two debut caps to Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana, while Devdutt Padikkal played his second Test match in the No. 3 slot, vacated by the injured Shubman Gill.
For Australia, Nathan McSweeney made his Test debut, while the other 10 players pick themselves in the XI.
Bumrah won the toss and elected to bat first on a spicy surface at the Optus Stadium. His decision wasn’t vindicated by his batsmen, as the visitors were bowled out for only 150 runs as the Australian pacers ran the show.
The Indian skipper then led a full-blown charge himself as he took the first three Australian wickets and then later took one more. He also found ample support from Siraj and debutant Harshit Rana.
Check out the full AUS vs IND 1st Test Day 1 Report below.
India vs Australia 1st Test Innings Report:
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal bagged ducks in their maiden Test innings in Australia. They couldn’t be blamed for their ducks, as Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were relentless on a pitch with grass on it and caught the outside edges of both left-handers.
Virat Kohli was the next to go as a back-of-length delivery from Hazlewood reared a bit extra than Kohli anticipated, and he nicked it behind as well.
KL Rahul looked the best Indian batsman in the morning session. Amid a few plays and misses and edges, Rahul was largely solid, tucking his bat behind his pad when playing defensive shots, reminding the fans of his centuries in England and South Africa in 2021.
Also Read: India vs Australia 1st Test Innings Report
However, on 26 off 74 balls, Rahul’s innings ended after a debatable decision from the third umpire. Rahul poked at a delivery outside off stump from Starc, and the Australians appealed for caught behind. Upon not being given out on the field, Cummins took the DRS. The replays weren’t conclusive enough to overturn the on-field call of not out. Yet, the third umpire gave Rahul the marching orders, compelling the batsman to remonstrate.
After lunch, India lost Dhruv Jurel and Sundar were caught behind off Mitchell Marsh. With little batting left, Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy took their chances and played strokes with fearlessness.
Both batsmen hit Cummins for an eye-catching six each, and Jurel took on Lyon with a couple of reverse sweeps. However, Cummins proved to be too good for both of them on this pitch. Pant was dismissed for 37 (78) and Reddy for 41 (59), top-scoring for the team in his debut Test innings.
India were knocked over for 150 in 49.4 overs. Hazlewood snared four wickets. Starc, Cummins, and Marsh bagged two wickets each.
Australian batsmen looked even more out-of-place against a fiery Bumrah, who had McSweeney lbw in his second over. He delivered telling blows in his fourth over with wickets of Usman Khawaja, caught in the slip, and Steve Smith, lbw, off consecutive deliveries.
His bowling partners rose to the occasion as well. In his third over, debutant Harshit bowled a jaffa to clean bowl Travis Head. Siraj finally got it right and got rid of Mitchell Marsh, caught off his outside edge, and Marnus Labuschange, lbw. Bumrah removed his opposite number, Pat Cummins, to have one-up over the Australian captain.
Bumrah’s figures at the end of the day read 10-3-17-4. GOAT level stuff.
India vs Australia 1st Test Report Day 1: The bottom line after play on day 1 is that Australia are 67/7, trailing by 83 more runs, and the test is quickly heading towards a result.
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