3 minute read
Australia have started their bid to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar trophy in spectacular style, skittling India for 150 in the first Test in Perth.
Australia's decision to carefully manage their pace attack prior to the Border-Gavaskar series has been vindicated as they skittled India for 150 on day one of the first Test.
Josh Hazlewood (4-29) starred in a ruthless display in Perth as India struggled on a pace-friendly pitch after electing to bat first.
Star spinner Nathan Lyon, who has an outstanding record at Optus Stadium, was only required to bowl five overs as Mitchell Marsh (2-12), Mitchell Starc (2-14), and Pat Cummins (2-67) backed up Hazlewood's heroics.
Australia came under criticism for resting Starc, Cummins, and Hazlewood, for the third ODI against Pakistan last week.
Pakistan belted their under-strength rivals, but Australia's focus was always how to best prepare for an assault at winning a Border-Gavaskar series for the first time since 2014-15.
The hero of India's 2-1 series win in 2020-21, Rishabh Pant threatened to produce another epic rescue mission.
He was dropped once, and smashed an extraordinary six on one leg, as he started to frustrate Australia, who had India 6-73 when debutant allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) arrived at the crease.
But once Cummins took the crucial wicket of Pant (37), India collapsed again and the second session was extended to allow Australia to clean up the tail.
Harshit Rana, another Indian debutant, fell to Hazlewood after Marnus Labuschagne took a brilliant catch in the slips that came from a deflection off Nathan McSweeney standing next to him.
Australia's star-studded pace attack strangled an Indian top order missing Rohit Sharma (parental leave) and Shubman Gill (thumb), before lunch.
Out-of-form superstar Virar Kohli (five), batting deep out of his crease, lasted just 12 balls before he awkwardly top-edged a Josh Hazlewood delivery to Usman Khawaja at first slip.
It continued the 36-year-old's concerning run at Test level. Kohli averages less than 32 since the start of 2020.
KL Rahul (26), filling in for Sharma as opener, almost survived the first session but fell to Starc in controversial fashion just before lunch.
Rahul was initially given not out, but it was overturned on review as a spike showed up on Snicko.
The 32-year-old was visibly fuming, standing his ground for a number of seconds even when TV umpire Richard Illingworth had made the call to reverse the decision.
Rahul appeared to indicate his bat had made contact only with his pad, and that had produced the Snicko spike.
Highly rated opener Yashasvi Jaiswal had a nightmare first innings in Australia, dismissed for a duck when flashing at a ball from Starc.
Gill's replacement Devdutt Padikkal, playing his second Test, was out for a torturous 23-ball duck.
Debutant McSweeney, given his baggy green cap by former Australia coach Darren Lehmann, was into the Test early after confidently taking the first catch of the game in gully.
McSweeney becomes Australia's 467th Test cricketer, and the first since left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann debuted in India in February 2023.
The 25-year-old Queenslander, who is currently South Australia's captain, was tasked with opening the batting with Usman Khawaja despite never having done so at Sheffield Shield level.
The tourists confirmed the shock selection calls by dropping star allrounders Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin.
Jadeja is coming off a 10-wicket haul in India's last Test and has tormented Australia in the past.
In the last battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India last year, Jadeja and Ashwin were joint players of the series as they spun their team to victory in the first two Tests to set up the 2-1 triumph.
