India flip the script by crushing Australia in Perth

The Indian cricket team has upended pre-series predictions by dismantling Australia in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth, where a strangely fluctuating pitch saw batting become easier to the extent that Jasprit Bumrah’s team recovered from 150 all out to post 487/6 declared in their second innings. 

Missing their captain Rohit Sharma and No 3 Shubman Gill, and having picked two debutants, India beat the hosts by 295 runs – their third largest victory of all time – to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. 

This win is India’s second in Perth, the first being a famous victory across the Swan River at the WACA Stadium in 2008, and sends the two teams to Adelaide in very contrasting moods. 

The result, which came on day four when the debutant pacer Harshit Rana ended Alex Carey’s resistance by cleaning him up, was a far cry from the opening day at Optus Stadium, on which 17 wickets fell and no batsman reached 50. Australia’s three quicks – particularly Josh Hazlewood – used the juicy conditions to skittle India for 150, but Bumrah led a terrific recovery to leave the hosts heading into stumps on 67/7. 

Where the first 85 overs of the Test produced 19 wickets for 229 runs, the next 75 overs saw only one wicket fall for 189 runs. In this time, Mitchell Starc batted 112 deliveries to show that crease occupation was indeed possible as the pitch began to change in nature, and India’s reshuffled opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal – dropped on 51 by Usman Khawaja of the bowling of Mitchell Starc – and KL Rahul took a cue. By the close of day two, India were 172 for no loss with a lead of 218 runs. 

On the third morning, Jaiswal – who was out for 0 on day one – audaciously ramped Hazlewood for six to get to his century from 205 deliveries and marched on to 161 before he was out cutting the ball to point. By then, he had fashioned with Rahul (who contributed a very solid 77) India’s first double-century opening partnership in Australia and put his team on the way to a huge lead. 

Jaiswal, nearing his 23rd birthday, arrived in Australia with over 1,000 runs this year but there were doubts over his technique in such conditions, particularly because of how he fared in South Africa a year ago (an average of 12.50 from four innings). But the youngster dispelled all of this by putting a price on crease occupation and the longer he spent in the middle, the better he got at adjusting to the bounce. And, true to his reputation, Jaiswal did not hold back on wowing the Perth fans with his array of strokes along the way. Many reputations of visiting Test batsmen have burgeoned in Australia, and Jaiswal is the latest to taste that success. 

A wobble ensued post lunch on day three, but Australia’s task was made impossible thanks to a fine 30th Test century from Virat Kohli. The 36-year-old’s previous 19 Test innings had yielded three fifties and 10 scores of 20 or less, but true to his reputation in Australia, Kohli stood up to be accounted for. 

His even 100* prompted the declaration at 487/6 thus setting Australia a target of 534. In quick time, they were 12/3 at the close of day three with – who else? – but Bumrah taking two wickets. 

Day four saw Mohammed Siraj add Usman Khawaja early on a misbehaving pitch, and then get rid of a struggling Steve Smith with a terrific delivery. Travis Head overcame a tough initiation to remind viewers of what he can do, cracking eight fours as he sped to 89 in brisk time in the presence of Mitchell Marsh. 

But as soon as Bumrah brought himself on, Head’s danger was extinguished. A top delivery saw Head too eager to push at it off the back foot, and the resultant edge gave Bumrah his eighth wicket of the match. Marsh made it to 47 before he became Nitish Reddy’s first wicket in Test cricket, and once Washington Sundar got into his groove with two wickets the end was near. 

This match wore Bumrah’s imprint all over it. From making tough calls, to opting to bat in bowler-friendly conditions, to influencing every single day of the Test with his terrific pace bowling, he owned this match and was the difference between the two teams.