Jasprit Bumrah rocked Australia in their own backyard on Friday, producing a fiery opening spell to bring India back after the visitors’ batting failed on the opening day of the first Test in Perth.
Bumrah, who captained the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who is on maternity leave, tore through the home side’s top order with a three-wicket burst that included two wickets in two balls at the front. However, he missed the hat-trick.
India, bowled out for just 150 on the first morning, needed some inspiration to land a few punches at Australia. And it came from the skipper himself, who once again delivered when the team needed it most.
Bumrah attempted to make his first breakthrough in the third over by hitting debutant Nathan McSweeney with the pads, but the umpire shook his head and rejected his appeal. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was not convinced, but Bumrah said “close hai” and signaled for review.
This went in India’s favor and McSweeney retired after scoring 10 runs.
Bumrah would have batted again in the same over but Virat Kohli caught the regulation slip off the edge of Marnus Labuschagne’s bat.
During Australia’s seventh innings, the Indian skipper continued to rattle the hosts and shocked them with two wickets in two balls to complete his hat-trick.
Kohli made amends by safely pouching the edge off left-hander Usman Khawaja’s (8) bat to contribute to Bumrah’s second wicket. And Bumrah also got a first-ball duck by hitting the next ball and snaring the big fish Steve Smith with an unplayable full inswinging delivery, hitting his pad inside the crease and just before the stumps.
The hat-trick ball thrown by the left-handed pitcher to Travis Head was aimed toward the leg, but missed. At that stage Australia’s score was 19 out of 3.
Debuting pacer Harshit Rana struck the fourth as he cleaned up India’s nemesis of India’s recent nemesis at the head (11), with a dream delivery that beat the bat after the pitch and traveled far enough to peg the off-stump again. A fourth blow was struck.
At the time of the publication of this report, Australia were 38th with 4 for 16 overs, with Labuschagne batting at 1 and Mitchell Marsh at 6.
