India Shellac Aussies in Own Backyard, Win First Test By 238 Runs

Perth: Pat Cummins’s Australia have had a knack for delivering knockout punches to India on the grandest stages. Remember the WTC Final triumph at the Oval or silencing over a lakh Indian fans in Ahmedabad during the 2023 ODI World Cup final? This time, though, it was Jasprit Bumrah’s turn to flip the script—and what a statement his side made in Perth! Bumrah’s India hammered the Australians at their Optus fortress, handing them their first-ever defeat at the venue with a 295-run win in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. After setting a mammoth 534-run target, India bowled Australia out for 238 to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

India stormed back to the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings with 61.11 percentage points after Perth win. As for the margin, this victory is India’s biggest ever, surpassing their previous record of 222 runs, set back in 1978 in Sydney when Australia fielded a weakened side amidst the mass exodus for the Kerry Packer World Series. A history-defining win, in more ways than one!

Who would have thought this comeback was on the cards after India’s dramatic collapse on Day 1? Bowled out for a mere 150, it seemed like the script was written for another Australian steamroll. But, as they say, there’s something magical in the Australian air—or water—that transforms India. It was a showcase of every sporting cliché done right: audacious bounce backability, unwavering team spirit, a defiant never-say-die attitude, and self-belief that defies logic.

India delivered a performance for the ages, spearheaded by stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah. With eight wickets across the match and stellar centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli in the second innings, India demolished a faltering Australia. This isn’t just a win; it’s India’s largest Test victory by runs on foreign soil. Only once before has a team won by a bigger margin after being dismissed for 150 or fewer in the first innings-West Indies, against Australia in Bridgetown, 1991.

Coming off a shocking 3-0 home whitewash against New Zealand, India arrived underprepared and undermanned, missing skipper Rohit Sharma and an injured Shubman Gill. Yet, under intense scrutiny, coach Gautam Gambhir’s bold calls—including benching spin stalwarts R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja—paid off spectacularly. Bumrah was the beating heart of this triumph. His fiery late-day-one spell turned the tide after India’s dismal 150-run collapse on a winning toss. His leadership electrified a revamped squad, proving that the right spark can ignite even the toughest challenges.

Skipper Jasprit Bumrah (3/42) and Mohammed Siraj (3/54) led the charge on the fourth day, with Washington Sundar and Nitish Reddy providing crucial support by claiming a wicket each. India had set Australia an imposing target of 534 runs on day three. Starting the day at 12 for 3, chasing 534, it seemed only a matter of time before Australia would capitulate, and they eventually did, despite a spirited 89 from Travis Head that only delayed the inevitable.