- Thursday, December 12, 2024
As many as 17 wickets fell in a single day, which is the first time in seven decades for a Test match on Australian soil, as two out-of-form batting units faced off at Perth
By: Shajil Kumar
SKIPPER Jasprit Bumrah made amends for his debatable toss call to bat first with a mesmerising opening spell that left Australia scurrying for cover at 67 for 7 and helped India make an emphatic comeback after a flop show with the willow on the opening day of the first Test in Perth.
The match, which was billed as a battle between two out of form batting units, lived up to the prediction at least on the first day.
As many as 17 wickets fell, which is the first time in seven decades for a Test match on Australian soil.
The stand-in India skipper, much to everyone’s surprise, opted to bat on a track with a liberal grass cover which generated appreciable seam movement and midriff high bounce.
But neither the youngsters nor the seasoned ones in the Indian line-up were up to the task.
It was debutant Nitish Reddy’s gutsy 41 and Rishabh Pant’s 37, including an unbelievable sixer, that got India to 150 in 49.4 overs.
Josh Hazlewood (4/29), Mitchell Starc (2/14 in 11 overs), Pat Cummins (2/67 in 15.4 overs) and Mitchell Marsh (2/12 in 5 overs) shared the spoils.
On the driver’s seat when they came out to reply, Australia had no answer to Bumrah’s (4/17 in 10 overs) quality that was on display.
Defending a low first-innings total cannot be a one-man show and Mohammed Siraj (2/17 in 9 overs) and debutant Harshit Rana (1/33 in 8 overs) stepped up to support their skipper.
The lengths they hit were immaculate, around five metre from the stumps and on the off-stump channel. The live grass did the rest whenever the ball landed on the seam.
Debutant Nathan McSweeney (10) got a nip-backer and DRS ruled him leg before.
Usman Khawaja (8) just froze in his crease once Bumrah decided to square him up by coming round the wicket.
Virat Kohli, who had earlier dropped Marnus Labuschagne (2 off 52 balls), didn’t make any mistake on this one.
But it was out of form Steven Smith (0), who got a very difficult first delivery that zoomed in and dipped catching him plumb in front.
Once Bumrah set the tone, debutant Harshit, with a bustling action, got one that pitched on middle stump, drawing Travis Head (11) forward before it deviated to dislodge the off-bail.
Australia were reeling at 31 for 4.
Labuschagne took 24 balls to get off the mark and also found himself at the receiving end of some heated words from an agitated Siraj.
The Indian then pitched one up to Mitchell Marsh and the resultant edge was brilliantly snapped by KL Rahul before ending Labuschagne’s 52-ball agony with an in-cutter.
Bumrah then came for his final spell of the day to remove the rival skipper as India took control of the proceedings. (PTI)
