PERTH, (Reuters) – At tea on day one of the first test in Perth, India’s stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah would have been ruing his decision to bat first after his side were skittled for 150 by Australia’s experienced seam attack.
But in a fiery display of fast bowling in the final session, Bumrah (4-17) managed to turn the game on its head, sending three of Australia’s top-four packing in the first seven overs.
The home team reached 67-7 at stumps on a frenetic 17-wicket day, still trailing by 83 and in danger of falling short of their lowest-ever total against India — 83, recorded in 1981.
“He’s been very good,” debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy, who top-scored with 41, succinctly described Bumrah to reporters.
Debutant Nathan McSweeney (10) was his first victim, judged lbw on review, while Usman Khawaja was next, caught-behind for eight. Steve Smith was beaten for speed one ball later, trapped leg-before for nought.
“The change of spells has been very good,” Reddy continued, alluding to the way Bumrah marshalled his bowlers.
The 30-year-old held himself back, picking up a fourth wicket just before stumps by inducing an edge from counterpart Pat Cummins, allowing first-gamer Harshit Rana to unleash pace which resulted in Travis Head (11) being castled.
Bumrah could have had a fifth in the session, had Virat Kohli held on to a regulation catch in the slips when Marnus Labuschagne was on zero.
The drop did not prove costly, as Labuschagne laboured to two off 52 balls before paceman Mohammed Siraj (2-17) trapped him lbw.
The Perth test marks Bumrah’s second stint as a stand-in captain, having also led his country against England in 2022, and he could not have been dealt a tougher hand.
Permanent skipper Rohit Sharma, who recently welcomed his second child, opted not to travel to Perth ahead of the series opener.
Furthermore, top-order batsman Shubman Gill sustained a hand injury in the lead-up to the test, ruling him out, and the selectors decided to leave out the experience provided by spin-duo Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin due to the seam-friendly conditions.
Reddy was complimentary of Bumrah’s wisdom though, saying his messaging was simple after India were rolled cheaply just before the tea break.
“Don’t try too much to swing the ball,” Reddy said Bumrah instructed his troops. “Just hit the deck and let the ball do the work.”
Alex Carey (19) and Mitchell Starc (six) are Australia’s not out batsmen overnight.
