Perth
The first match of the five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia is being played at the Perth Stadium. Australia scored 67 runs after losing 7 wickets in the first innings. Australia is currently behind by 83 runs. Jasprit Bumrah took 4 wickets in his name which included the wickets of both the openers Usman Khawaja (8), Nathan McSweeney (10), Steve Smith (0) and Pat Cummins (3). One wicket remained in the name of Harshit Rana who made Travis Head his victim for 11 runs. Mohammed Siraj took 2 wickets which included Mitchell Marsh (6) and Marnus Labuschagne (2). Earlier, India won the toss and chose to bat first and thanks to Josh Hazlewood’s four wickets, the Indian team was bundled out for 150 runs in the first innings. Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy played top innings of 37 and 41 runs respectively while the opening was a complete failure.
Australia’s first innings
Australia, who came to bat after tea in the third session of the match, did not have a good start. Bumrah displayed brilliant bowling and sent Australia’s top three batsmen to the pavilion at the score of 19. Nathan McSweeney (10), Usman Khawaja (eight) and Steve Smith (zero) became the victims of Bumrah. Marnus Labuschagne (two) was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj. Labuschagne played the slowest innings in Test history, scoring only two runs in 52 balls. Travis Head (11) was bowled out by Harshit Rana. Mitchell Marsh (six) and Pat Cummins (three) were out after scoring runs. In the 25th over, Indian captain Jasprit Bumrah gave a big blow to Australia by getting captain Pat Cummins caught out by Pant. At the end of the first day’s play, Australia has scored 67 runs for seven wickets in 27 overs and Alex Carey (16 not out) and Mitchell Starc (six not out) are at the crease. For India, Jasprit Bumrah (four wickets), Mohammed Siraj (two wickets) and Harshit Rana (one wicket) were taken.
India’s first innings
Apart from Test debutant Nitish Reddy (41 runs) and Rishabh Pant (37), no batsman could survive and on the first day of the first Test, Australia bowled out India for 150 runs in the first innings till the tea break. Captain Jasprit Bumrah took the strange decision of batting first after winning the toss on a bouncy green pitch. Pant (37 runs in 78 balls) and Reddy made a partnership of 48 runs for the seventh wicket. Pant also hit a brilliant six to Australian captain Pat Cummins over backward square leg.