Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliant bowling performance turned the first Test against Australia in Perth around, bringing India back into the game after a poor batting display. By the end of the first day, Australia was struggling at 67-7, thanks to Bumrah’s fiery spell of 4-17.
Earlier, India was dismissed for just 150, with Australia’s pace attack, led by Josh Hazlewood (4-29), proving too much for India’s top and middle order. Mitchell Starc and Marsh also played key roles in the collapse.
India’s innings started poorly, with KL Rahul losing his partner Yashasvi Jaiswal (0) early. Virat Kohli struggled to score, managing just five runs. Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) and Rishabh Pant (37) briefly fought back, but Australia’s bowlers kept taking wickets.
Australia started their chase cautiously but quickly fell apart under Bumrah’s attack. Nathan McSweeney went lbw for 10, and Usman Khawaja (8) and Steve Smith were dismissed soon after. Mohammed Siraj and debutant Harshit Rana took more wickets, sending Labuschagne and Travis Head back cheaply. Captain Pat Cummins also fell to Bumrah before the close of play.
At stumps, Australia’s Alex Carey (19) and Mitchell Starc (6) were left to try and rebuild their innings. With India in control, the second day will be crucial in this high-stakes match.
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India’s decision to leave out Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja raised questions, along with the injuries to Shubman Gill and the absence of Rohit Sharma. This experimental lineup now faces a tough challenge against a strong Australian team.
