1st Test: Jasprit Bumrah’s India breach Perth fortress, outclass hapless Australia

Pat Cummins’s Australia have had a knack for delivering knockout punches to India on the grandest stages. Remember the WTC Final triumph at the Oval or silencing over a lakh fans in Ahmedabad during the 2023 ODI World Cup final? This time, though, it was Jasprit Bumrah’s turn to flip the script—and what a statement his side made in Perth!

Bumrah’s India hammered the Australians at their Optus fortress, handing them their first-ever defeat at the venue with a 295-run win in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. After setting a mammoth 534-run target, India bowled Australia out for 238 to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Who would have thought this comeback was on the cards after India’s dramatic collapse on Day 1? Bowled out for a mere 150, it seemed like the script was written for another Australian steamroll. But, as they say, there’s something magical in the Australian air—or water—that transforms India. It was a showcase of every sporting cliché done right: audacious bouncebackability, unwavering team spirit, a defiant never-say-die attitude, and self-belief that defies logic.

AUS vs IND, 1st Test: Day 4 Highlights | Scorecard

Even without a few key players, India conjured minor miracles that felt almost routine. The Australians, meanwhile, looked like they were carrying a cloud of resignation, as Josh Hazlewood’s body language betrayed. For all its glory, Perth briefly transported us back to the old India—the scrappy underdogs—except this time, they had the swagger of champions. And let’s not forget, the historic Perth win came without regular captain Rohit Sharma and hot on the heels of a 0-3 whitewash to New Zealand at home. This isn’t just a win; it’s India’s largest Test victory by runs on foreign soil. Only once before has a team won by a bigger margin after being dismissed for 150 or fewer in the first innings-West Indies, against Australia in Bridgetown, 1991.

BUMRAH, SIRAJ DECIMATE AUSTRALIA ON DAY 4

Skipper Jasprit Bumrah (3/42) and Mohammed Siraj (3/54) led the charge on the fourth day, with Washington Sundar and Nitish Reddy providing crucial support by claiming a wicket each. India had set Australia an imposing target of 534 runs on day three. In-form batter Travis Head (89) fell to Bumrah’s brilliance. A length delivery climbed unexpectedly as Head attempted a drive, only to edge it to the keeper. Bumrah’s ecstatic celebration said it all. Mitchell Marsh (47) looked solid at the crease before Reddy, capping off an impressive Test match, bowled a delivery that cramped Marsh for room, leading to an inside edge onto the stumps.

Australia’s dependable batter in this WTC cycle, Alex Carey (30*), put up resistance, but Washington Sundar struck just before tea, removing Mitchell Starc (12) to edge India closer to a memorable victory. Earlier in the morning, Siraj delivered incisive spells to dismiss the experienced Usman Khawaja (4) and the out-of-form Steven Smith (17). Khawaja mistimed a pull shot off Siraj, with Rishabh Pant—IPL’s $3 million man—taking a superb catch running backward. Meanwhile, Smith, desperate to overcome his slump, fell to a perfectly pitched delivery that found his outside edge, with Pant completing a diving catch to end a 62-run stand.

Australia’s struggles with Smith and Marnus Labuschagne’s dip in form during this WTC cycle remain a significant concern. Smith even abandoned his usual trigger movement toward the off-stump, wary of being trapped lbw on a pitch with unpredictable bounce.

Travis Head, who had been dismissed by a gem from Harshit Rana in the first innings, adopted a counter-attacking approach on the deteriorating track. He punished loose deliveries, driving anything pitched up and cutting short balls with disdain. His fifty came off just 63 balls, highlighted by a precise ramp shot over the keeper’s head.

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