Unlike the previous tours of Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21, India’s arrival for the 2024-25 five-Test Border-Gavaskar trophy on Australian shores was marred by a 3-0 upset to New Zealand in home conditions. Cricket experts from either side were skeptical of India’s chances in the series opener, more so because the Kangaroos were unbeaten in their four appearances at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
Adding to the worries, regular skipper Rohit Sharma’s absence for personal reasons, and the loss of No.3 Shubman Gill due to a thumb fracture further escalated India’s concerns, but stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah led a spirited turnaround for the visitors to knock off the hosts by 295 runs in a one-sided result set to cause aftershocks in the latest tussle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The outcome also meant India regained the top spot in the World Test Championships standings, although their place in a third straight final will depend on their performances in the remaining four Tests. For now, India have set the tone with a 1-0 lead.
The win is India’s biggest by the margin of runs against Australia in Australia. The previous biggest win dates back to 1977, when India won their first Test Down Under in Melbourne. It is also their 10th Test victory in the country.
The result seemed a mere formality on the penultimate day of the Test, despite counterattacking knocks from Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh delaying the inevitable. Debutant Harshit Rana rubber-stamped the triumph by knocking over Alex Carey, just after the tea break to trigger massive celebrations in the Indian camp.
While Bumrah led from the front with eight wickets for the match, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli produced outstanding centuries in India’s second innings to leave Australia searching for cover. For the hosts, the misfiring top order has been their major concern, especially No. 3 Marnus Labuschagne who managed just five runs in the match to continue a lengthy form slump.
After inflicting heavy damage late on day three, leaving Australia reeling at 12/3, India looked in firm control of the proceedings on Monday. Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj got the visitors to a perfect start, with the key wickets of Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith to reduce Australia to 104/5 after one session and still requiring a further 430 runs for an unlikely victory.
Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh, who both entered the match with limited preparation having been on paternity leave, made batting look relatively easy in the post-lunch session. Head motored towards a century and attacked any width, while Marsh struck several lusty aerial blows in a speedy 81-run sixth-wicket partnership before Bumrah intervened.
Bumrah produced a superb back-of-a-length delivery that caught Head’s edge on 89 and prompted celebrations from Kohli. Marsh also missed a milestone when on 47 he chopped onto allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who capped an impressive debut with his first Test wicket.
Washington Sundar ended Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc’s stubborn resistance just before the tea break as India inched closer to a big win in Perth. The end of the 45-run partnership was down to Dhruv Jurel’s brilliance, who pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at short leg to dismiss Starc.
Sundar struck again on the other side of the break, deceiving opposite offie Nathan Lyon with a peach of a delivery to rattle the stumps. Harshit Rana sealed the win with a brilliant slower delivery that bowled out Carey, wrapping up the proceedings and giving India a comprehensive victory.
It was a game of two halves for both sides. After opting to bat first, India were bowled out for just 150, staring down a heavy defeat. Bumrah swung the momentum back in India’s favour with a brilliant five-wicket haul to restrict Australia to just 104.
Despite the pitch easing considerably compared to the first innings, India still had to dig deep with the bat in the second innings. Jaiswal (161) and Kohli (100 not out) led the charge for the visitors with centuries, leaving the hosts a mountain to climb.
Brief Scores: India 150 (Nitish Kumar Reddy 41, Rishabh Pant 37; Josh Hazlewood 4-29, Mitchell Marsh 2-12) and 487/6 decl. (Yashasvi Jaiswal 161, Virat Kohli 100*, KL Rahul 77; Nathan Lyon 2-96) beat Australia 104 (Mitchell Starc 26, Alex Carey 21; Jasprit Bumrah 5-30, Harshit Rana 3-48) and 238 (Travis Head 89, Mitchell Marsh 47; Jasprit Bumrah 3-42, Mohammed Siraj 3-51) by 295 runs.