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Wickets galore as bowlers feast at Optus Stadium

3 minute read

A total of 17 wickets fell on day one of the first Test between Australia and India at Optus Stadium, with Virat Kohli again failing with the bat.

 VIRAT KOHLI. Picture: Stu Forster/Getty Images

AUSTRALIA v INDIA, first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test, Optus Stadium, day one.

SCORE: India 150. Australia 7-67

SUMMARY: Josh Hazlewood snared 4-29 and there were two wickets apiece from Mitchell Starc, Mitch Marsh and Pat Cummins as India were skittled for 150 in 49.4 overs. Debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy top scored with 41 batting at No.8, and Rishabh Pant was next best with 37. Virat Kohli's struggles continued, with the veteran caught at first slip for just five. Australia slumped to 5-38 in reply as debutant Nathan McSweeney, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Travis Head and Mitch Marsh fell cheaply. It was 6-47 when the painful innings of Marnus Labuschagne (two off 52 balls) was brought to an end. Jasprit Bumrah (4-17 off 10 overs) was the chief destroyer. Australia ended the day at 7-67, leaving Alex Carey (19no) and Starc (6no) with a mammoth job ahead of them.

PLAYER OF THE MOMENT: Jasprit Bumrah. With his team defending a meagre total, Bumrah stepped up in stunning fashion, finishing the day with four wickets. Bumrah got rid of debutant opener Nathan McSweeney early on, before snaring the scalps of Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith in consecutive balls. Bumrah returned to the attack to catch the edge of Pat Cummins. Special mention goes to Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood, who made Virat Kohli look all at sea on the way to his four-wicket haul.

STAT OF THE DAY: 31,302 - That was the attendance for day one, setting a new single-day record for a Test match in WA. The previous high was the 22,178 on day two of the Ashes Test against England in 2017/18 at the WACA Ground.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "You've got a good poker face, haven't ya. You must be good at poker." - Australian paceman Mitchell Starc addresses Nitish Kumar Reddy after the Indian debutant gloved a ball down the leg side when he was on just 10. Starc and his teammates decided against reviewing the not out decision - something they immediately regretted after seeing the replay. Reddy's relaxed and calm demeanour after the ball hit his glove probably played a part in convincing Australian players he didn't hit it.