NEW DELHI: India’s batting order faltered under a fierce Australian pace attack on the opening day of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth on Friday.
Stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah’s decision to bat first on a lively pitch seemed to backfire as both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal departed without scoring in their maiden Test innings in Australia.
Mitchell Starc set the tone for Australia, starting with a fiery spell despite conceding a boundary from a leg-side bye on the opening delivery. In just the third over, Starc produced a gentle outswinger that lured Jaiswal into a drive, only for the in-form batter to edge it to debutant Nathan McSweeney at gully. Jaiswal’s innings ended abruptly on an eight-ball duck.
Scorecard: India vs Australia, 1st Test
At the other end, Josh Hazlewood unleashed his own venom, keeping KL Rahul under pressure while targeting Padikkal. In the 11th over, Hazlewood forced an edge off Padikkal’s bat, and Alex Carey completed a simple catch behind the stumps. Padikkal, like Jaiswal, departed for a duck after a 23-ball struggle.
Yashasvi Jaiswal vs left arm pace
Five innings58 balls29 runsFour dismissals
India’s top order collapse left them reeling at 18 for 2 in the first hour of play, with Australia firmly in control. Rahul and veteran Virat Kohli now carry the burden of rebuilding the innings against a relentless Australian pace attack on a challenging surface.
With the series opener off to a rocky start, India face an uphill battle to regain momentum in the highly anticipated five-match contest.
