IND vs AUS, Perth Test: India crumbles to 150 all out; Pant, Nitish Kumar Reddy lauded, top-order slammed

By Sunita Iyer  |  First Published Nov 22, 2024, 1:08 PM IST

India endured a frustrating first day in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia in Perth, slumping to 150 all out by tea.


India endured a frustrating first day in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia in Perth, slumping to 150 all out by tea. After electing to bat, the visitors were left reeling in the face of a fiery Australian bowling attack, which tore through their top order, dismissing six wickets in the second session alone.

Also read: IND vs AUS, Perth Test: Are India missing captain Rohit Sharma? Batting collapse sparks debate, memes explode

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While the collapse was painful to watch for Indian fans, there were some bright spots, most notably from debutants Nitish Kumar Reddy and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who were lauded for their resilience amid the crisis.

Nitish - 41 (59).
Pant - 37 (78).
KL Rahul - 26 (74).

INDIA BOWLED OUT FOR 150. HAZLEWOOD PICKED 4/29. pic.twitter.com/U4cib3VVG5

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra)

Reddy, in his first-ever Test innings, top-scored with a composed 41 off 59 balls, displaying calmness and technique as India’s middle order crumbled around him. Pant also contributed with a handy 37 runs, showing his trademark flair despite the mounting pressure. Both batters were the standouts in an otherwise disappointing day for India, with fans taking to social media to praise their performances in the face of adversity.

THE NKR SHOW ON DEBUT. 🇮🇳

- 41 (59) with 6 fours and a six by Nitish Kumar Reddy in Perth on debut. What a knock by the Andhra boy in Australia, great start to his Test career. 🫡🌟 pic.twitter.com/ki2Khj3zn3

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra)

The Indian top order struggled from the outset. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal failed to make an impact, both departing for ducks in their maiden Test innings in Australia. The pressure continued to mount as Virat Kohli was dismissed for just 5 runs, leaving India in deep trouble. KL Rahul, who had looked solid early, fell victim to a controversial caught behind decision just before lunch after scoring 26 off 74 balls.

Also read: IND vs AUS, Perth Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks debate, former players say 'when in doubt, don't give out'

In the post-lunch session, India’s middle and lower order completely capitulated. Washington Sundar was dismissed for 4 runs, leaving India struggling at 73 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Pant and Reddy showcased a period of resilience before the wicketkeeper-batter fell in the 46th over of the innings. Harshit Rana (0), and captain Jasprit Bumrah (8) were dismissed in quick succession. India were bowled out for a modest total in just 49.4 overs.

Australia's bowlers were relentless, with Josh Hazlewood the standout performer, claiming 4 wickets for 29 runs. Mitchell Starc (2/14) and Mitchell Marsh (2/12) also had a significant impact, while captain Pat Cummins added two wickets to his tally, finishing with 2/67.

Brief Scores:

India: 150 all out in 49.4 overs
KL Rahul 26, Rishabh Pant 37, Nitish Kumar Reddy 41; Josh Hazlewood 4/29.

Here's a look at how fans lauded Rishabh Pant and debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy's show, while they criticized the others for letting the team down:

Well done champp ✅ https://t.co/bj9U1nT54f

— VamCKrishna (@vamCKrishna__3)

Well done Nk 👏💫❤️

He will greatest all rounder for india in future after Hardik Pandya..... | https://t.co/5J4kPGV3XS

— Vivek.Ch 💎 (@VivekCh10101)

The future is in safe hands
Telugodi power 🔥🔥🥵🥵 https://t.co/cPZaEUMpuC

— raamu remo (@raamu_remo)

Promising start to his test career..
Long way to go.. maintain the consistency https://t.co/w61uJJpL12

— Rayalaseema Chinnodu (@screwtequila)

Summary of India's batting in every test match lately. Pant is single-handedly helping us avoid humiliation https://t.co/MrrvQpjTYB

— Pradeep Gunuganti (@gpradeep123)

Well played Rishabh Pant. Best wicketkeeper batsman of India. https://t.co/0nhKtIqxX6

— 𝐇𝖾𝗂𝗌𝖾𐓣ᑲ𝖾𝗋𝗀 🇮🇹 (@Imsandipkumar18)

Pant played well but it’s not a hard pitch to bat on. Our batsmen have struggled because they don’t have the technique to bat on such wickets

— Cricketism (@MidnightMusinng)

🇮🇳WELL PLAYED, RISHABH PANT. 🇮🇳

— Sanju (@SanjayBhat46892)

And the rest 7 batsmen scored only 46 runs 🤦😠

— Sports Geek (@a_common_fan)

Well played Nitish Reddy pic.twitter.com/HphXUm6lvu

— Cricket Tak 🇮🇳 (@CricketTak12)

India’s batting has become so poor in Test cricket. It’s a worrisome sign

— Cricketism (@MidnightMusinng)

Tough day for Team India with the bat. Hazlewood was on fire! Hoping the bowlers can bring us back into the game. 💪🇮🇳

— EPIC Entertainment Hub (@Epic_EnterHub)

Well played though NKR. Did his job with the bat.

150 is 100 less from what India would have hoped for at least.

But now onto something that has bothered India away from home too.

New ball bowling. Hopefully Sir Vivian Siraj can hit the length in time for a mad spell.

— Thakur Divya Prakash (@Divyaprakas8)

Indians were hyping BGT as if something even bigger than Ashes, and their actual performance is even worse than that of Pakistan's performance in their last Australia tour https://t.co/mZjEPkeBl4

— Farhan (@AbeyJaYar)

This is nothing. I have seen 36 all out under Kohli's captaincy. https://t.co/QoUxwaFEx3

— MAHIYANK™ (@Mahiyank_78)

India disappointed today, a very bad start ,Kohli again very poorly perform https://t.co/qdNK5mOEot

— Ashraf Isran (@AshrafIsran)

Nitish Reddy topscoring in his debut test innings probably on positive for ICT today https://t.co/H5kK9zBSk2

— Vishnu (@Vishnu1002Arago)

A 21yr old guy is the highest scorer 😭 https://t.co/f8kvTTHFz1

— ꜱᴀɪ | 🦖² (@notamythanymore)

Well fight by these players. https://t.co/YBPtTDzdK3

— HITMAN (@VIRATIAN_F)

Nitish made 41 runs with just 59 balls!! He is a debutant !! He deserves the biggest applause for today's game 🔥 https://t.co/y25QMALtRo

— Shiny (@Shiny74084014)
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