On the first day of the India vs. Australia Test series in Perth, it was a bowler’s day, with each side’s bowlers marking their presence. India, winning the toss, elected to bat but had a serious challenge on its hands against the bowling line-up of the Australians. The Indian innings was ended on 150, and the pace duo of Australia, spearheaded by Josh Hazlewood, had made early inroads. Hazlewood’s accuracy and movement unsettled India’s top order, while Mitchell Starc supported effectively from the other end.
India’s middle-order batsmen struggled to build partnerships as wickets fell at regular intervals. Despite attempts by Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant to stabilize, the Indian lineup crumbled, showcasing how challenging the pitch was to bat on. Australia’s bowlers exploited the conditions effectively, utilizing bounce and swing to restrict India to a modest total.
Early days saw Australia raising hopes but India’s Jasprit Bumrah would not have it. Bumrah led the redemption of India by shattering the Australian top order and taking away four vital wickets in a jiffy. It was at 67/7 at stumps, still trailing by 83 runs. Brilliant spells from Bumrah were backed by Harshit Rana, who kept India in this fight.
At large, Day 1 showed the intensity of bowling by both teams, where the total wickets fell to 17 in just one day, which is a rare thing for Test cricket. All now depends on the second day as Australia’s tailenders will look forward to reduce the difference while India will start again to wrap up their innings early and gain a better chance.