Perth Test sees historic first in India-Australia matchups as Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins lead their teams
By Deepu Mohan | First Published Nov 22, 2024, 2:35 PM ISTThis is the first time in the 77-year history of India-Australia Test series that both teams are led by pace bowlers. While Cummins has been the Australian captain since 2021, this is his first time captaining against India in Australia.
Perth witnessed a historic moment at the toss of the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test, as Indian captain Jasprit Bumrah and Australian captain Pat Cummins stepped onto the field. This marks the first time in the 77-year history of the India-Australia Test series that both teams are led by fast bowlers.
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Pat Cummins, who has been the Australian captain since 2021, is captaining against India in Australia for the first time. In the previous two series (2018-19 and 2020-21), Tim Paine led Australia, but both were won by India. Jasprit Bumrah is leading India in this Test in the absence of regular captain Rohit Sharma, who is on paternity leave.
India and Australia first met in a Test series in 1947-48, when India, led by Lala Amarnath, lost 0-4 to Australia, captained by Sir Don Bradman. Bumrah's leadership in this Test marks only the second time a fast bowler has led India in a Test series in Australia, the first being Kapil Dev in the 1985-86 series.
India won the toss in Perth and chose to bat. In a surprising move, spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were excluded from India’s playing XI, with Washington Sundar being the sole spinner. Nitish Kumar Reddy made his Test debut for India as a pace-bowling all-rounder. Along with Bumrah, the fast-bowling trio includes Mohammed Siraj and debutant Harshit Rana. Wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel also made his debut as a specialist batter in India's playing XI.
After winning the toss, Indian was bowled out by the tea session for 150 in 49.4 overs. 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. 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.
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.
However, in response, Australia struggled right from the start as Indian bowlers led by Jasprit Bumrah rattled the top order of the Aussie batting lineup. Australia was 3-18 at one stage with Bumrah dismissing Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney and Steve Smith. Pacer Harshit Rana clean bowled Travis Head to pick India's fourth wicket. Australia is now reeling at 38/4 in 16 overs with Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh on the crease.
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