India mount strong comeback to seize control of opening Test against Australia

India made a remarkable comeback in the first Test against Australia on Friday, recovering from a disappointing total of 150 by claiming seven wickets in the final session, thereby positioning themselves favorably after an exhilarating opening day in Perth.

At the end of the day, Australia found themselves in a precarious situation at 67-7, as Jasprit Bumrah wreaked havoc on the Australian batting lineup, concluding the day with impressive figures of 4-17. Alex Carey remained not out on 19, while Mitchell Starc was yet to score, sitting at six.

After choosing to bat first, India was overwhelmed, managing only 150 runs, unable to withstand the formidable pace attack led by Josh Hazlewood, who took 4-29.

Notable performances came from debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored 41, and the dynamic Rishabh Pant, who contributed 37 runs. However, Virat Kohli's struggles continued as he was dismissed for just five runs.

"The wicket is assisting a lot," remarked debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy. "We don't need to do much to take wickets. Maintaining discipline has led to our success in claiming wickets."

Kohli's recent form has raised concerns, as he has only managed two Test centuries in the past five years, prompting discussions about his place in the team.

Australia's response was equally dismal. Captain Bumrah dismissed rookie opener Nathan McSweeney lbw for 10, compounding the challenges for a team still searching for a suitable replacement for the retired David Warner.

Marnus Labuschagne received a significant reprieve shortly thereafter when Kohli dropped a straightforward catch in the slips, leaving Bumrah visibly frustrated.

However, India quickly capitalized on their momentum, with Kohli successfully catching Usman Khawaja off Bumrah's bowling for 8. The situation intensified when Steve Smith was trapped lbw on the very next delivery.

Harshit Rana claimed his maiden Test wicket by clean-bowling Travis Head for 11, and Mitchell Marsh followed soon after, dismissed for five by a catch in the slips off Mohammed Siraj.

Labuschagne, who had a fortunate escape, managed to score only two runs off 52 balls before being dismissed lbw by Siraj. Bumrah then returned to the attack to remove captain Pat Cummins for just three runs.

Following a disheartening 3-0 home series loss to New Zealand, India made the unexpected decision to exclude veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, and middle-order batsman Sarfaraz Khan from the squad.

This decision was compounded by the absence of opener and regular captain Rohit Sharma, who was away due to the birth of his child, along with the injury of number three batsman Shubman Gill, resulting in a weakened batting order.

Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed without scoring in the third over, edging a drive off Starc to McSweeney, who skillfully collected the ball low at gully.

With Gill unavailable, left-handed batsman Devdutt Padikkal stepped in at number three, facing 23 balls without making a run before he was caught off an edge by wicketkeeper Carey from a delivery by Hazlewood.

This brought Virat Kohli to the crease, who was in urgent need of a significant score. Despite his impressive record in Australia, he managed to last only 12 balls before edging a rising delivery from Hazlewood to Khawaja at slip.

India's situation deteriorated further when opener Rahul (26) edged a delivery to Carey just before lunch.

After the break, Pant and Dhruv Jurel were required to stabilize the innings, but Jurel, who was selected over Sarfaraz, lasted barely 10 minutes before falling to Marsh for 11, edging the ball to Labuschagne at third slip.

Marsh struck again, dismissing Washington Sundar, leaving the visitors in a precarious position at 73-6, before Pant and Reddy initiated a brief recovery.

Cummins ultimately ended Pant's innings, with Smith taking a sharp catch at slip, marking the beginning of India's collapse.

The visitors have secured victories in their last two Border-Gavaskar trophy series held in Australia.

Perth marks the first of five Tests in this series.

SportsLigue