IND vs AUS, Perth Test: Jaiswal-Padikkal's ducks, Kohli & Rahul's dismissal sparks memes amid India's struggle

India's top-order faced a nightmare start on Day 1 of the first Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at Perth's Optus Stadium, as Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood's relentless pace left the visitors reeling. At Lunch, India were struggling at 51 for the loss of 4 wickets.

Jaiswal-Padikkal's golden ducks

The opening day saw two golden ducks—Yashasvi Jaiswal and debutant Devdutt Padikkal—fall victim to the Australian pacers in the first few overs, sparking a wave of social media memes and reactions.

Jaiswal, who opened the innings for India, was the first to depart, sent packing for a duck off an inswinging delivery from Starc in the third over. The Australian pacer, in his typically fiery fashion, struck again moments later, sending Padikkal back to the pavilion for a golden duck of his own, dismissing him for a nought after 23 deliveries.

The golden ducks of Jaiswal and Padikkal have since dominated the meme sphere, with fans and cricket enthusiasts humorously sharing their take on the early dismissals. While it was a tough start for the Indian batsmen, social media users had a field day, flooding platforms with memes comparing the duo's misfortunes to various humorous scenarios.

India's struggle continue in Perth

KL Rahul, the Indian opener, stood firm amid the carnage. After losing both his partners early on, Rahul remained composed and was later joined by Virat Kohli, who had the daunting task of rebuilding the innings. However, stunning delivery from Hazlewood outside off got Virat Kohli to fend at it, with the top edge flying through to Khawaja at first slip for a brilliant catch.

With India struggling, all hopes were pinned on KL Rahul to continue steadying the ship. However, the batter was dismissed in dramatic fashion leaving the visitors in a spot of bother. Mitchell Starc appealed for a caught behind after a faint noise on the delivery. Initially, the umpire rejected the appeal, but Australia immediately reviewed the decision. Upon closer inspection, there was a spike on the technology, but the question remained whether it was from the bat or pad. Despite Rahul's insistence that the ball had hit his pad first, the timing of the spike led to a reversal of the on-field decision. Rahul was dismissed for 26 off 74 balls, caught by Alex Carey behind the stumps, much to his displeasure, as he walked off after a patient but ultimately unsuccessful knock.

Starc and Hazlewood’s combined pace assault became a key talking point, with the duo making history by becoming the first Australian new-ball attack to claim 400 Test wickets. Starc, in particular, was on a roll, extending his tally to 359 wickets, and Hazlewood—who now has 274 wickets—contributed his own brand of precision, ensuring India struggled to get off the ground.

With India's top order back in the pavilion early, the match has set the stage for a tense battle, while the golden ducks continue to dominate online discussions.

Earlier today, India’s stand-in captain, Jasprit Bumrah, won the toss and opted to bat first, a decision that seemed to backfire as the top-order crumbled under the Australian pace attack.

Adding to the surprise, India made the decision to leave out seasoned spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, opting instead for Washington Sundar as the sole spinner. The visitors also handed debut caps to pacer Harshit Rana and fast-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, but the decision to leave out experienced spinners left fans questioning the team’s strategy.

With the early blows for India, the match has already set the stage for a gripping contest, and the golden ducks will surely remain a talking point for days to come—both on the field and in the meme circles.