Bumrah took the fourth wicket after inflicting the initial damage on Australia with three wickets. In his second spell, Bumrah dismissed his Australian counterpart Pat Cummins to leave the hosts at 7/59. Earlier, Siraj dismissed Mitchell Marsh and then Marnus Libeschen to send Australia down. Rana had picked up his maiden Test wicket a few overs earlier by dismissing the dangerous Travis Head. In his first spell, Bumrah was in full flow in Perth. Nathan McSweeney scored 10, Usman Khawaja scored 8, and Steve Smith was dismissed for a golden duck as India beat Australia after a below-par total.

The first wicket was as much Virat Kohli’s as Bumrah’s. Kohli convinced his captain to take DRS. India could have had two in three balls, but Kohli’s dropped catch at second slip gave Marnus Libeschen a lifeline. Debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy’s 41 off 59 balls and a seventh-wicket partnership with Rishabh Pant saw the Indian innings all out for 150 on the first day of the first Test of the Border-Gaskar Trophy in Perth. Reddy and Pant put on a partnership of 48 runs off 85 balls, when the score was 73/6.

India ended the first session at 51/4 as Australian pacers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins ruled the roost. He lost two more wickets to Mitchell Marsh early in the second session. Pant and Reddy then not only held the fort but also managed to get a few boundaries which gave India a semblance of momentum but it did not last long.

KL Rahul kept India ticking for most of the first session as he saw wickets tumble at the other end. However, his innings ended in controversial circumstances at the end of the first session. The last man to fall for the visitors before Rahul was Virat Kohli, who slipped first after scoring just five runs and was replaced by Rishabh Pant. Earlier, Yashvi Jaiswal and Devdut Padikal fell for ducks to Mitchell Starc. Pedicel fell for 23 balls while Jaiswal fell to Starc on the first ball of the pacer’s second over of the day. Rahul opened the batting with Jaiswal and was joined by Padikal after the latter fell. In Pedicle No. 3 the wounded Shubman was filling for Gill.

India’s stand-in captain Bumrah won the toss and elected to bat first. The visitors have dropped Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and opted to go with Washington Sundar as their lone spinner while debuting pacer Harshit Rana and pace all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. Ashwin handed Rana his maiden cap while Virat Kohli did the same for Reddy.

Even before 2024 began, the five-Test series between India and Australia had become the biggest talk of Indian cricket. This is despite the T20 World Cup being a major feature of the year. Perhaps it was the lingering joy of India’s once-in-a-lifetime series win in Australia or the fact that India couldn’t wait to bounce back in 2023 after suffering two major Australian heartbreaks. Who can forget November 19? Heck, we just completed a year of history.

However, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. Rahul Dravid is done with his time as India coach and has been replaced by Gautam Gambhir, who has had a somewhat tumultuous start to his tenure. Against Australia when they are slightly in the firing line is never ideal, but the glass is half empty too. Gambhir will want to see out the five-Test series against Australia, the first of which begins today at the Optus Stadium in Perth.

Perth, a venue that has historically been a nightmare for batsmen with its famous bounce and pace, has also claimed India as its victim. 1992, 2012 and 2018 will reopen old wounds. But if India have endured their share of disappointments in Perth, they have some fond memories of the 2008 tour, when, after losing one of the most scandalous and controversial Tests ever to Sydney, Anil Kumble and Irfan Pathan rotated to give India a memorable win.

But this isn’t 2008. India are a much more competitive team than the team that defeated the mighty Australia in Perth. It is only because of their 0-3 whitewash at home to New Zealand that the world has turned against them. Like last time, Australia is also not giving the Indians a chance. They have declared Australia as outright winners with some bold and daring predictions of 3-1, 4-1. But if there’s one thing the opposition should know about India, it’s that they are most dangerous when cornered.

So what if captain Rohit Sharma is not around? Vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will be eager to surpass his counterpart Pat Cummins in this rare clash of fast bowlers. Bumrah has captained India in just one Test before – a result no fan will want to remember – but India’s pace spearhead has a sharp mind, and has gone on record saying that when he You can take better care of your body. He is leading. But despite all the credentials Bumrah has, he will feel the pressure… and then some.

The heat is not the only problem. The one and only unbeaten Virat Kohli finds himself in the middle of no man’s land. Runs are hard to come by, and his recent outings are raising alarm bells. At 36, is Kohli on the downswing? Not a single cricketer will tell you that, and rightly so. It’s no secret that Kohli is no longer the force he once was, but still, dismiss it at your peril. He is everywhere in Australian media – from billboards to newspapers to TV screens – such is the hype surrounding him. From first down as an arrogant 24-year-old to establishing himself as a legend, Kohli’s rise has been momentous. But currently Kim is stuck with batting, there is no better place than Australia to rekindle the hunger that made him a run monster in the first place.

A lot has been done in India’s team combination for the Perth Test. Well, since this is Perth, four fast bowlers should be a no-brainer. Bumrah and Shami are sure shots, but Harshit Rana all-rounder Nitish Reddy has emerged as the other two quicks. Akashdeep has also not done badly, so this number can also go up to five. Washington will play only one between Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. As far as the batting is concerned, with KL Rahul set to open, and Devdutt Padikal being included in the squad, it can only mean that he will bat at No.3.

If there is one cricketer from the Australian camp who has made more headlines than David Warner, it is Nathan McSweeney. Touted as one of the next big things in Australian cricket, he and Usman Khawaja will be responsible for seeing off the new ball. Australia’s failed experiment with Steve Smith will see them return to No.4, where they have haunted India the most. Despite the presence of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Cummins, it is Nathan Lyon who could very well be the deciding factor of the match. Australia last won a Test series against India in 2014/15 and Cummins, who has made no mistakes, will be looking to add the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to his already impressive list of achievements.

Here are some highlights from the first India vs Australia Test:

– Australia are 67/7 at stumps, 83 runs behind India.

– Jasprit Bumrah has figures of 4/17.

– Mohammad Siraj dismisses Mitchell Marsh to take Australia to 38 for 5.

– Harshit Rana joins the fun with the wicket of Travis Head.

– India were all out for 150 in their first innings.

– Earlier, Bumrah dismissed Nathan McSweeney for 10 runs to give India an early win.

– The Indian captain added two more wickets to his tally – Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith (one for nil).

– Nitish Kumar Reddy was the last Indian wicket to fall as he scored 41 off 59 balls on debut.

– Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy gave India some momentum with a 48-run partnership for the seventh wicket.

– India lost Dhruv Jural and Washington Sundar to Mitchell Marsh early in the second session.

– India were 51/4 in 25 overs at lunch.

– KL Rahul’s long vigil ended in controversial circumstances as he fell to Starc after scoring 26 off 72 balls.

– Virat Kohli falls to Josh Hazlewood after scoring five runs.

– Jaiswal fell for eight balls while Padikal failed to score after facing 23 balls.

– Yashwi Jaiswal and Devdut Padikal fall for a duck to Mitchell Starc.

– Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and India elected to bat first.