Australia crumbles to 67-7 as Bumrah and Siraj dominate on challenging Perth pitch
Perth: Australia’s reply to India’s 150 all out collapsed to 67-7 on the opening day of the Border-Gavaskar series at Perth Stadium, as the grassy pitch, combined with sharp bounce, claimed 17 wickets.
Bumrah and Siraj shine in India’s bowling attack
Jasprit Bumrah led the Indian attack, taking 4-17, while Mohamed Siraj supported with 2-17, leaving Australia reeling. The Australian innings began poorly, with debutant Nathan McSweeney dismissed by Bumrah for a duck, trapped leg before wicket. Bumrah followed up with two quick wickets, removing Usman Khawaja (8) and Steve Smith (0) off consecutive balls. Khawaja was caught by Virat Kohli at second slip, and Smith was trapped lbw.
Travis Head briefly thwarted Bumrah’s hat-trick hopes, but was dismissed for 11 after misplaying a delivery, leaving debutant fast bowler Harshit Rana with his first Test wicket. Mitchell Marsh followed shortly, caught by KL Rahul off Siraj, and Australia’s position worsened.
Marnus Labuschagne survived an early drop by Kohli but struggled with the bat, managing just two runs from 52 balls before Siraj trapped him lbw. Bumrah returned for his second spell and swiftly dismissed Australian captain Pat Cummins, caught behind by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
In the morning session, Australia’s seamers dominated, with Josh Hazlewood taking 4-29 and Mitchell Starc claiming 2-24. India, after winning the toss and opting to bat, quickly collapsed to 73-6, with only Pant (37) and debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) providing resistance. Reddy struck six fours and a six off 59 balls, with some aggressive strokes against Nathan Lyon. His innings ended when he was caught at deep mid-wicket by Khawaja.
Pant and Reddy combined for a 48-run stand, with Pant uncharacteristically patient in his 78-ball innings before being dismissed off Cummins, caught by Steve Smith at second slip. Reddy’s quick-fire knock was also cut short when he held out to Khawaja in the outfield.
India's top order collapses before lunch
India’s top order faltered before lunch, as the decision to bat first backfired. Openers Jashasvi Jaisval (0), Rahul (26), Devdutt Padikkal (0), and star batsman Kohli (5) all fell in quick succession. Rahul, who completed 3,000 Test runs during his innings, was one of Starc’s early victims, caught at gully. Hazlewood removed Padikkal and Kohli in the space of 15 balls, leaving India at 51-4 at the lunch break.
Reflecting on the conditions, Starc remarked, "It is a good day to be a fast bowler. Both teams bowled well today. There was plenty on the wicket—bit of swing, sideways movement, good pace and carry."
India’s decision to bat first under challenging conditions backfired, while Australia will resume with Alex Carey (19) and Mitchell Starc (6) on Saturday, trailing India by 83 runs. Both teams remain in the race for the World Test Championship finals.
The Teams:
India: Jasprit Bumrah (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj.
Australia: Pat Cummins (captain), Nathan McSweeney, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood. (PTI)