India Crumbles for 150 as Aussie Pacers Dominate Perth Test
India's rough patch continued as they suffered a poor start to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after being whitewashed at home by New Zealand. In the first innings of the Perth Test, Jasprit Bumrah's team was bowled out for just 150 runs.
Winning the toss and opting to bat, India couldn't survive even 50 overs. Under relentless pressure from Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc, the visitors folded before the second session concluded. Nitish Kumar Reddy, batting at number eight, was the top scorer with 41 runs.
Interim captain Bumrah decided to bat first with debutants Harshit Rana and Nitish in the XI. However, the Indian batting lineup failed to justify that decision. Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed by Starc on the first ball of the third over. Soon after, Devdutt Padikkal followed with the scoreboard at just 14.
Star batter Virat Kohli failed to break out of his slump, scoring only 5 runs. Hazlewood's short delivery on the fourth stump caught the edge of Kohli's bat, leading to a slip catch. This marked Kohli’s fifth consecutive innings with a score under 20—something last seen seven years ago.
While wickets tumbled at one end, KL Rahul managed to steady the ship momentarily. However, Starc dismissed him after a review showed an edge, leaving Rahul out for 26 off 74 balls.
India's struggles continued post-lunch, with Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar falling quickly to Mitchell Marsh. At 73/6, Rishabh Pant and Nitish put up a fight, adding 48 runs. Pant, however, was dismissed for 37 by Pat Cummins, further deepening India's troubles.
Nitish Reddy fought valiantly but lacked support from the tail-enders. Bumrah and Harshit departed trying to play aggressive shots. Eventually, Nitish also fell to Cummins while attempting an attacking stroke, leaving India all out for 150.
For Australia, Hazlewood was the standout bowler with four wickets. Starc, Cummins, and Marsh chipped in with two wickets each.
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