AUS vs IND: 1st Test, Day 1 Review – Bumrah & co. put up a show to put India on top
The first day of the first Test match of the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-24 at the Optus Stadium in Perth went in India’s favor after 76.4 overs of play in the day.
After winning the toss the visitors chose to bat first but the decision backfired as they were bowled out for 150. In reply, the Aussie batters initially looked to get a big lead and gain an advantage in the opener, but India’s bowling group, headed by skipper Jasprit Bumrah hunted in pack and managed to send seven of their batters back in the changing room under the first day of play.
The Pat Cummins-led side’s current scorecard reads 67/7 and they are trailing by 83 runs. On Day 2, the tourists will be hoping to wrap the Australian tail soon and better their lead.
3. KL Rahul’s contentious dismissal
Opener KL Rahul, who was looking at fine touch was batting on 26 and was looking on the way to putting India in a comfortable position. But on the second ball of the 23rd over, the ball went past Rahul’s defense, and the Australian team appealed for a caught behind, but the on-field umpire didn’t raise his finger. Meanwhile, the Australian skipper opted for a review, and the decision was overturned by the Third Umpire. The replay and Snickometer showed a spike as the ball went past the ball, but the third umpire made a decision in a hurry and did not check all the angles. Though Rahul was visibly affected by the decision even the fans were upset over the decision as they felt that the spike was due to the bat hitting the pad.
2. Virat Kohli’s prolonged form slump
Virat Kohli’s bad form in Test cricket continued, with his Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign getting off to a shaky start. Kohli was dismissed for only 5 runs as Josh Hazlewood got a delivery to climb onto the shoulder of his bat and take an edge which went for a catch at the slips.
Kohli made a brave choice to bat wide outside the crease in an attempt to negate the movement the Australian bowlers were causing. He intended to play on the front foot, but the extra bounce at Optus Stadium went the other way. Kohli’s dismissal put India in a more difficult scenario, with the scoreboard reading 32/2. The star batter’s bad form continues, as he hasn’t fired in the longest format since the Bangladesh Test series in October.
1. India’s fight back with the ball
Indian bowlers put up an extraordinary effort by getting the team back in the game. It all started with Jasprit Bumrah producing a brilliant opening spell to leave Australia 19/3. He removed debutant Nathan McSweeney lbw and had Usman Khawaja caught in the slips, before removing Steve Smith lbw on the very first ball. Later debutant Harshit Rana got the big wicket of Travis Head, making him his prized possession in the longest format of the game. Mitchell Marsh also fell cheaply, before Marnus Labuschagne, who batted and scored two off 52 balls, and was trapped lbw by Mohammed Siraj. Bumrah went on to remove Pat Cummins and made sure the hosts are in the backfoot by the end of the day.
