Befitting the rivalry between Australia and India, the latest tussle for the Border Gavaskar Trophy started in eventful fashion with wild momentum swings and a DRS controversy as pace bowlers from both attacks thoroughly dominated in favourable conditions at Optus Stadium.
By the end of a madcap first day’s play, India had remarkably finished on top after stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah tore through Australia’s top-order with spectacular seam bowling. He finished with 4 for 17 from 10 overs.
He claimed debutant Nathan McSweeney for 10 in the third over before dismissing Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith with consecutive balls in the seventh over to turn a fast-moving first Test on its head.
In just his second red-ball match opening the batting, McSweeney faced a baptism of fire and initially judged the length well before Bumrah adjusted to a fuller length and trapped him on the pads. Smith’s shift back to his favoured No.4 did not start well after he shuffled across his stumps and was plumb lbw by a wicked Bumrah delivery that decked back a mile.
Australia nosedived further when Travis Head was bowled by a cracker of a delivery from debutant quick Haarshit Rana, while Mitchell Marsh and Marnus Labuschagne fell to Mohammed Siraj.
Having started the season slowly, Labuschagne had an excruciating time. He was dropped by Virat Kohli at second slip after edging Bumrah and didn’t score in his first 24 deliveries faced. He received mock applause from the terraces when he finally broke his drought, but Labuschagne could never get going and made a painstaking 2 off 52 balls.
Bumrah wasn’t quite done as he returned in the shadows to dismiss Pat Cummins as Australia limped to stumps at 67 for 7.
It was a remarkable turnaround after India were bowled out for 150 in just 49.4 overs. Nine of Indian batters were caught behind the wicket in a mode of dismissal that has been common in Perth over the years at Optus Stadium and at the nearby WACA ground.
After India sensationally left out veteran spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah elected to bat after winning the toss. With overcast skies above a green-tinged surface, it was undoubtedly an agonising decision but batting first appeared the logical move given the pitch is expected to deteriorate amid warmer weather later in the match.
With unseasonal wet weather ahead of the match, there had been particular intrigue over how the pitch would behave. There was movement and bounce, but perhaps not the minefield the scoreboard indicates.
India’s top-order were all at sea against superb new ball bowling from Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who claimed all four wickets in the first session. Starc, especially, was outstanding to set the tone for an Australian pace attack that strangled India.
Having pushed through injury issues last summer, Starc entered the season fit and firing. He continued his strong form with fast and probing bowling, especially troubling the left-handers with an immaculate line and away swing.
Seemingly attempting to start the series in the same fashion as the Ashes series in 2021-22, Starc’s first delivery was an anti-climax and missed the leg stump of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and flew to the boundary.
He was on target after that and his accuracy overwhelmed Jaiswal, who on his eighth delivery, as he tried to score his first runs in Australia, drove on the up and edged to McSweeney in the gully.
With his bat well in front of his body, it was an errant stroke that had echoes of an ungainly dismissal for Pakistan captain Shan Masood in last year’s Perth Test.
With captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill unavailable, Devdutt Padikkal received an unexpected opportunity at No.3 after impressing in the India A matches recently. But he was totally shackled by the quicks and did not score off his first 22 deliveries faced. The pressure proved too much with Padikkal on the next ball edging Hazlewood behind with an angled bat trying to defend to covers.
All eyes were on Kohli, who received healthy applause from the 31,302 crowd although Indian fans in the terraces were vastly outnumbered in a rare sight.
India desperately needed their long-time talisman to shrug off a form slump on a ground he scored a brilliant century in the 2018-19 series. Kohli batted well outside the crease in a well-worn strategy he had successfully implemented previously in Australia.
But Hazlewood, who has had great success against Kohli over the years, adjusted and bowled a back of length. Kohli on 5 could only fend a lifting Hazlewood delivery that landed straight to first slip.
Opener K L Rahul, who just a week ago had been struck on the elbow in an intra-squad match simulation, bravely batted through the carnage. He struck India’s first boundary off the bat in the 12th over in ungainly fashion when he tried to evade a Cummins short ball only for it to hit his bat and fly over the slips.
Rahul made it to 26 before being given not out by on-field umpire Richard Kettleborough after Starc appealed for caught behind. After Australia reviewed, Snicko showed a spike as the ball passed the bat and the decission was overturned. Having indicated that the bat hit his pad, Rahul trudged off the ground shaking his head as India slumped to 47 for 4.
After lunch, allrounder Marsh made a successful return to bowling with the wickets of Dhruv Jurel, who had been selected on the back of his performances for India, and Washington Sundar.
Marsh had only bowled four overs since tearing his hamstring at the IPL. But he ran in powerfully and finished with 2-12 from 5 overs in a boost for an attack without allrounder Cameron Green, who will miss the entire series due to a back injury.
India’s hopes rested with a counterattacking Rishabh Pant and debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy, who combined for 48 runs – the biggest partnership of the innings.
Pant was typically adventurous marked by an audacious scoop for six off a full delivery from Cummins, while Reddy mixed orthodox drives with paddle sweeps to thwart offspinner Nathan Lyon.
But both were unable to kick on as India were dismissed by tea. In his first red-ball match since the New Zealand Tests in March, Cummins looked a little underdone and was unable to find a consistent length as he finished with 2-67 from 15.4 overs.
He did dismiss Pant and Reddy and left the field mightily pleased with Australia’s performance. But Cummins’ mood soured quickly and just over two hours later he trudged off the field after being dismissed by his opposite number.
Brief scores:
Australia 67 for 7 in 27 overs (Alex Carey 19*; Jasprit Bumrah 4-17, Mohammed Siraj 2-17) trail India 150 in 49.4 overs (K L Rahul 26, Nitish Kumar Reddy Reddy 41, Rishabh Pant 37; Josh Hazlewood 4-29, Mitchell Marsh 2-12, Mitchell Starc 2-14, Pat Cummins 2-67) by 83 runs
[Cricinfo]
