Fiery spells from Australian pacers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc wreaked havoc on India’s batting lineup, leaving the visitors struggling at 51/4 by lunch on Day 1 of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Friday.
The Indian batters were visibly troubled by the extra pace and bounce of the Perth pitch, as Hazlewood and Starc showcased their skill and precision.
At the end of the first session, India stood at 51/4, with Rishabh Pant (10*) and Dhruv Jurel (4*) unbeaten at the crease, trying to stabilise the innings after a disastrous start.
Winning the toss and choosing to bat first on what appeared to be a challenging Perth surface, Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul were off to a cautious start, unable to score any runs in the first two overs from Hazlewood and Starc, except for a boundary through byes. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse as Jaiswal, tempted by Starc, was caught at gully by debutant Nathan McSweeney after just 2.1 overs, leaving India at 5/1.
KL Rahul was then joined by Devdutt Padikkal, who was playing his first Test in Australia after a solitary Test appearance against England at home. However, Padikkal struggled to settle in and ultimately nicked a delivery to wicketkeeper Alex Carey, gifting Hazlewood his first wicket of the series. Padikkal departed without scoring, having faced 23 balls, and India was left at 14/2 in 11 overs.
Star batter Virat Kohli entered the fray to a massive cheer from the crowd, but his stay at the crease was brief. Hazlewood, finding the right length and extracting extra bounce from the surface, forced Kohli into an edge that Usman Khawaja comfortably took in the slips. Kohli’s poor run continued as he fell for just five runs, leaving India reeling at 32/3.
Despite the setbacks, KL Rahul showed composure and tried to anchor the innings, playing some fine strokes along the way. However, his efforts came to an unfortunate end under controversial circumstances. With no conclusive evidence of whether the ball had hit his pad or bat first, Rahul was given out for 26 off 74 balls, including three boundaries. The dismissal further compounded India’s woes, with the score at 47/4.
Young wicketkeeper-batters Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel then took the responsibility of steadying the innings, managing to see out the remainder of the session without any further damage. They ended the first session at 51/4, with a daunting task ahead to help India recover.
The match saw India opting to bat first, hoping to capitalize on the sunny Perth conditions, but the Australian bowlers, led by Hazlewood and Starc, ensured that the visitors had a tough start to their innings.
Playing XI:
India: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (w), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Mohammed Siraj.
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (w), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
With a shaky start to their Border-Gavaskar campaign, India will need to rely on its middle and lower order to recover and post a competitive first-innings score. The Australian bowling attack, on the other hand, will be eager to keep the pressure on and continue their dominance as the match progresses.