India defeats Australia by 295 runs in first Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy
PTC Web Desk: India has taken a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series against Australia after securing a dominant 295-run victory in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The second Test will be played in Adelaide, starting December 6.
On Monday, Day 4 of the match at Perth’s Optus Stadium, Australia, chasing a target of 534, was bowled out for just 238 in their second innings. Earlier, India declared their second innings at 487/6, having set a formidable target. India had scored 150 in their first innings, while Australia was dismissed for just 104 in their opening knock. This loss marks Australia's first-ever defeat at Optus Stadium, where they had earlier played four matches, winning all of them. India’s victory in Perth is now their biggest Test win in Australia, surpassing their previous record of a 222-run victory in Melbourne in 1977.
In Australia’s second innings, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj each claimed three wickets. Travis Head top-scored for Australia with 89 runs. Bumrah, who had taken five wickets in the first innings, was named Player of the Match for his all-round performance.
With the win in Perth, India has moved to the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 points table with 61.11% points. Australia has slipped to second place with 57.69%.
Jasprit Bumrah (India’s captain) expressed his satisfaction with the win, saying, "I am very happy with this victory. The pressure was on us in the first innings, but the way we responded was fantastic. I told everyone to trust their abilities. Jaiswal played his best-ever Test innings, and Virat’s knock was also brilliant. The support from our fans has been amazing. It motivates us to perform even better."
Pat Cummins (Australia’s captain) said, "This defeat is quite disappointing. The preparation was good, and everyone performed well, but there were areas where we fell short. We’ll take a few days off and then practice in Adelaide. Our team has a lot of experience, and there will be much discussion about how we can improve in similar conditions."
India: Jasprit Bumrah (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Reddy, Harshit Rana, Mohammad Siraj.
Australia: Pat Cummins (captain), Nathan McSweeney, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon
- With inputs from agencies
