By BBC (Sports) | Created at 2024-11-25 08:32:06 | Updated at 2024-11-25 11:21:28
3 hours ago
Border-Gavaskar Trophy, first Test, day four, Perth
India: 150 (Hazlewood 4-29) & 487-6 dec (Jaiswal 161, Kohli 100*)
Australia: 104 (Bumrah 5-30) & 238 (Head 89, Bumrah 3-42, Siraj 3-51)
India won by 295 runs
India completed a stunning 295-run win over Australia in the first Test in Perth to continue their extraordinary run in the country.
They bowled Australia out for 238 in the final session on day four to take a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series.
It means India have now won five and lost only two of their past nine Tests in Australia dating back to their 2018-19 tour.
West Indies are the only other team to have won a Test in Australia in that time.
Australia resumed on 12-3 after a devastating new-ball spell from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj late on day three - and that soon became 17-4 when the latter had Usman Khawaja caught behind off a top-edged pull.
Steve Smith was then superbly set up by Siraj, caught behind for 17 off one that straightened.
Travis Head (89) and Mitchell Marsh (47) counter-attacked but both fell in quick succession in the afternoon session to Bumrah and Nitish Kumar Reddy respectively.
Off-spinner Washington Sundar had Mitchell Starc caught at short leg and bowled Nathan Lyon, before a superb Nitish Rana slower ball deceived Alex Carey to seal the comprehensive win.
India must win three of the next four Tests to guarantee their place in a third successive World Test Championship final.
Australia need five wins across this series and a two-Test tour of Sri Lanka to reach the final.
The second Test in Adelaide starts on 6 December.
This result will leave serious questions around Australia - with the gap between Tests only likely to extend the post mortem.
They were in the ascendancy after bowling India out for 150 within two sessions on the opening day, but fluffed the advantage by being dismissed for 104.
It is a worrying trend for Pat Cummins’ side, with the top order folding on five occasions in seven Tests in the past 12 months.
Four of the top six are in particularly worrying form, with Khawaja and Smith having gone 11 Tests with a century, Marsh 10 and Marnus Labuschagne nine.
Nathan McSweeney managed only 10 runs in two innings on Test debut and there are likely to be questions about whether the Queenslander, who has never opened in first-class cricket, was the right option at the top of the order.
Pundits have also questioned whether Australia were aggressive enough with the ball at times in this Test, while their preparation - a white-ball series against Pakistan - has already been put under the microscope.
Australia have won nine of their past 10 Tests in Adelaide, but that defeat was against India.
If they lose again the series and a place in the World Test Championship final look in doubt.
