India achieved a convincing victory in Perth on Monday, beating Australia by 295 runs in the first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The win puts India ahead in the five-match Test series, 1-0.
Stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah was the standout performer, taking eight wickets in total, including a vital five-wicket haul in the first innings.
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After Tea, Australia started their innings at 227/8 but could only add 11 more runs before debutant Harshit Rana claimed the last wicket, bowling Alex Carey for 36.
Immediately after the Tea break, Nathan Lyon was dismissed for a duck, bowled by Washington Sundar. With one wicket remaining to secure the win, Rana delivered by clean bowling Carey, sealing India’s memorable victory.
“Very happy. We were put under pressure in the first innings, but the way we responded was great. I played here in 2018 – I remember the wicket started soft. This one was less spicy, we were really well prepared. I told everyone to keep faith in your ability,” said India captain Bumrah at the presentation ceremony.
The losing captain, Pat Cummins, said not much went their way in the Test despite putting in a good show in the preparation.
“Fairly disappointing. Prep was good, all firing, fair bit to look at as lots didn’t go right. Gap is what it is. You want to get on the horse but we will take a couple of days’ rest and get training in Adelaide. We didn’t give ourselves a chance in a few different facets – like the finish on day 1 with bat,” said Cummins.
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Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj stood out with the ball, each taking three wickets, while Sundar added two wickets and Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with one each.
India’s bowlers were dominant throughout the match, culminating in a comprehensive win in the first Test of the series.
In the first innings, India lost the toss and batted first, posting a total of 150 runs. Key contributions came from debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored 41 off 59 balls, and Rishabh Pant, who added 37 off 78 balls, forming a crucial 48-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Josh Hazlewood was the pick of Australia’s bowlers, taking 4/29, supported by two wickets each from Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, and Mitchell Starc.
Australia’s response was disastrous, collapsing to 79/9 at one point before Mitchell Starc (26) and Alex Carey (21) took them to 104, giving India a 46-run lead.
Bumrah excelled with the ball, earning figures of 5/30 in 18 overs, while debutant Harshit Rana impressed with 3/48.
In their second innings, India significantly increased their lead. They built a formidable 201-run opening partnership between KL Rahul (77 off 176 balls) and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who himself played a key innings of 161 off 297 balls, including 15 fours and three sixes.
Jaiswal shared an 89-run stand with Virat Kohli (100* off 143 balls) and a 77-run partnership with Nitish Kumar Reddy (38* off 27 balls) to help India reach 487/6, establishing a hefty target of 534 runs for Australia.
Nathan Lyon was the best bowler for Australia, with 2/96, while Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood each took one wicket.
At the close of Day 3, Australia were struggling at 12/3, with Bumrah taking two wickets and Siraj one. Siraj’s performance continued on the fourth day, where he dismissed Usman Khawaja for 4, leaving Australia reeling at 17/4. Despite an aggressive 63 from Travis Head, who fought valiantly, Australia found themselves in deep trouble at 227/8 by Tea on Day 4.
After resuming their innings at 104/5, Head showcased impressive batting, scoring 89 off 101 balls before being dismissed by Bumrah, leaving the score at 161/6. Soon after, Nitish Kumar Reddy celebrated his first Test wicket by dismissing Mitchell Marsh for 47. The last wicket to fall before Tea was Mitchell Starc, caught by Dhruv Jurel off a Sundar delivery for 12.
