Australia’s Pat Cummins has never missed a chance to knock out India on the biggest stages. Do you recall the victory in the WTC Final at the Oval or the 2023 ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad, where more than a lakh Indian fans were silenced? However, Jasprit Bumrah turned the course of events this time. In the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India crushed the Australians at their Optus fortress, defeating them by 295 runs, their first-ever loss at the location. India took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after bowling Australia out for 238 on Monday after setting a massive 534-run goal.
With 61.11 percentage points following Perth’s victory, India returned to the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) rankings. Regarding the margin, this is India’s most significant victory ever, breaking their previous record of 222 runs, set in Sydney in 1978 during the Kerry Packer World Series, when Australia fielded a depleted team due to the mass exodus.
Stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah put on a show that will be remembered for years. India defeated a struggling Australia with eight wickets. Superb tons by Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave India a major boost in the second. The West Indies, against Australia in Bridgetown, 1991, is the only team to have triumphed by a more significant margin after being dismissed for 150 or less in the first innings.
India, without captain Rohit Sharma and an injured Shubman Gill, arrived undermanned and unprepared following a humiliating 3-0 home thumping at the hands of New Zealand. However, under close examination, coach Gautam Gambhir’s audacious decisions—such as benching spin mainstays R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja—paid. The pulsating heart of this victory was Bumrah. After India’s miserable 150-run collapse on a winning toss, his blistering late-day-one session changed the course of events. A redesigned team was energised by his leadership, demonstrating that even the most difficult obstacles can be ignited with the correct spark.
On the fourth day, captain Jasprit Bumrah (3/42) and Mohammed Siraj (3/54) spearheaded the attack, with Washington Sundar and Nitish Reddy each taking a wicket to provide vital support. On the third day, India had given Australia a daunting target of 534 runs. Australia seemed destined to give up, and they did, even though Travis Head’s heroic 89 simply postponed the inevitable. Australia began the day at 12 for 3, chasing 534.
Australia began the series on the nation’s most lively wicket, unlike the previous two tours, where India started in Adelaide, which is renowned for its batting-friendly conditions. At first, the maneuver was successful, but it only lasted a half session before failing. Australia bet on India’s struggling batting order even though they planned to exploit their weaknesses. The choice to bring in youngster Nathan McSweeney, who is untested and not an opener, emphasised Australia’s transition phase, which may prove even more difficult than India’s. Key players like Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne have struggled with form for a while.
Josh Hazlewood appeared to have given up by the third night, and it wouldn’t be shocking if the Australian team management decided to play on flatter fields going forward to lessen Bumrah’s threat. But Bumrah, who can tighten the knot in any situation, maintained his dominance. Head, who had been fighting bravely, was removed by Bumrah on the fourth afternoon with what might have been his best of the eight wickets he had taken in the game. Australia’s fight ended when the ball, pitched on length, unexpectedly rose and caught the outside edge of Head’s bat.
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