Recap: Bumrah and Siraj close out first test against Australia

PERTH: Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj were the standout bowlers for India, as the two took a combined six wickets in Australia’s second innings, leading their team to victory on Monday.

India lead the five test series 1-0 after Australia lost their last wicket with 295 runs left to chase.

The Aussies needed 534 runs after Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul put on incredible performances for India. Twenty two year-old Jaiswal scored his fourth ever test century in India’s second innings, as he made 161 runs off 297 balls, hitting 15 fours and three sixes in the process. KL Rahul was caught out by Australia’s wicket-keeper Alex Carey before he was able to make a century of his own. He scored 77 runs off 176 deliveries, hitting five fours along the way. Australia weren’t able to dismiss Kohli, who made 100 runs off 143 deliveries, before India declared.

India’s bowlers kept up the pressure that the aforementioned three put on Australia, taking four wickets before the end of the sixth over.

JASPRIT BUMRAH

Bumrah took his first wicket of the innings in the very first over. The debutant, Nathan McSweeney, failed to defend Bumrah’s delivery which ended up hitting him right below the knee roll. A disappointed McSweeney made his way off the pitch before the umpire’s finger even went up. A lack of experience and some untrained reflexes meant that Australia lose a wicket before their scored a single run.

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Bumrah’s next wicket came in the fifth over as Marcus Labuschagne was dismissed due to another lbw. It was an awful showing from the Australian batter who froze as he allowed the ball to hit his pads before falling to the ground. Australia wasted a review, as ball tracking showed the stumps were goners.

India’s skipper showed off his bowling excellence as he took his third wicket in the 39th over. Bumrah set Travis Head up with a shorter delivery, that led the Australian to try his hand at back-foot drive through cover. But this time, the ball was longer and clipped the outside edge of Head’s bat before settling in the gloves of Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant. Head put on the best performance for Australia by far, scoring 89 runs off 101 deliveries.

MOHAMMED SIRAJ

Siraj sent off Pat Cummins in just the fourth over, as the Australian skipper tried to punch the ball through point. Instead, the delivery found the edge of Cummins’ bat before finding Kohli at second slip.

Soon after in the sixth over, Siraj would dismiss Usman Khawaja after the Australian batter butchered at attempt at a swivel pull, popping up the ball into the air. When it came down, Pant was ready to take the catch. Pant would get Siraj his third wicket as well, on a delivery that clipped Steven Smith’s bat on its way to the Indian wicket-keeper.  

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REDDY, SUNDAR, AND RANA

Twenty one year old test debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy took his maiden wicket in the format in the 44th over. He sent off Mitchell Marsh who was just three runs short of tenth test half century and scored the second highest total for Australia. Reddy’s delivery ricocheted off the bottom edge of Marsh’s bat before colliding with the stumps.

Washington Sundar struck ten overs after Reddy, dismissing Mitchell Starc in the 54^th over. The Australian bowler attempted to flick the delivery away, but some incredible reflexes Dhruv Jurel at short leg meant that Starc had faced his last ball.

And just two balls later, Sundar would take another as his delivery got past the bat of Nathan Lyon who moved down the pitch. The ball got past him before clipping the stumps.

Harshit Rana took the last wicket of the match in the 59th over, dismissing Alex Carey who had scored 36 runs. Carey was helpless against the slower delviery from Rana, which spun away and past the shoulder of his bat, before hitting the off stump.

Rana put the finishing touches on a dominant bowling offensive from India, led by Bumrah and Siraj who each took three wickets.

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