Australia 104 and 238; India 150 and 487-6 dec in Perth
India win series opener by 295 runs despite Head’s defiant 89
India complete huge win over Australia
It’s amusing to watch a day of Test cricket where the outcome is inconsequential. To be fair, no single day of cricket truly holds immense significance, but sometimes the play doesn’t even impact the match’s outcome at all. Take India in Perth on Monday: they had already secured 522 runs and two full days to claim seven wickets on a pitch exhibiting unpredictable bounce. The wickets were bound to fall, and the match would end, regardless of how things played out. Travis Head scoring 89 runs and Mitchell Marsh hitting several sixes on his way to 47 was entertaining, yet it didn’t alter the situation one bit.
Usman Khawaja was the only player with the credentials to bat for a day and a half late in the game, but he was dismissed early when he misjudged a pull shot without adjusting for the bounce. Although Steve Smith is often placed in the same elite category, his performance in final innings has generally been average—even during his prime, with 70% of his career runs scored in the team’s first innings. This time, he managed just 17 runs before getting out. The lower order couldn’t contribute significantly, and much like in the first innings, wicketkeeper Alex Carey appeared to be the most composed and assured among the specialist batsmen. He was the last to fall for 36, and his team succumbed to a 295-run defeat.
Australia has endured some harsh defeats over the past decade and more. These memories are easily recalled with just the mention of the venue. Typically, however, these were matches where the opposition dominated from the start. For instance, at Trent Bridge in 2015 and Hobart in 2016, Australia’s batting crumbled immediately, leaving them to chase the game thereafter. At Johannesburg in 2018, South Africa posted a massive first innings total. Numerous losses in India featured Australia scoring around 200, with India responding with 500. Cape Town in 2011 saw Australia collapse from a strong position, though at least that match was nearing its conclusion.
This defeat, however, feels different because after electing to bowl first, Australia initially held the upper hand. The closest comparison might be South Africa at the WACA in 2016, yet even then, the visitors managed a decent total of 242. This summer’s opponents were dismissed for just 150 within two sessions on the opening day. Any analyses dismissing this Australian team as bound for failure overlook the quality of their initial performance. It showcased the best of fast bowling in tandem, supported by exceptional fielding. Though the subsequent batting undercut the overall impact, it shouldn’t overshadow the initial effort.
Ultimately, it was a puzzling surrender from such a strong position. An overseas team in their first match of a series typically doesn’t recover from being bowled out for 150, let alone to the point where they take a first-innings lead. Then, to the extent of batting nearly three sessions without losing a wicket, as Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul became only the sixth opening pair to compile a double-century stand while touring Australia.
The subsequent grind, capturing only six wickets over nearly two days, was all the more painful because the Australians weren’t just laboring; they were bewildered. Starting behind from the beginning—that’s just part of sports sometimes, something you can accept. But in this scenario, with session after session of Indian batting passing by, the looks on their faces seemed to repeatedly ask, “How did this happen?”
Addressing that question is the next step. The current Australian team focuses on staying composed, not overreacting to poor results, a strategy they employed with some success after two heavy defeats in India last year. However, the general public will likely be far less composed, calling for changes in Adelaide as often happens after a crushing loss. The initial inquiry into how this happened will evolve into figuring out how to prevent it from happening again.
While Australians worry, reflect, or call into talkback shows to express their frustrations, for India, this is a landmark Test match result in a country where, until 2018, they had never achieved a series victory, and since 2019, have known nothing but success. Their last two Test tours of Australia included thrillers in Adelaide and Brisbane, along with solid professional wins in Melbourne. However, they had yet to deliver a decisive thrashing like this, the kind of victory that can throw an opposing camp into turmoil.
India boasts a young opener with seemingly limitless potential, a seasoned champion in the middle order, a wicketkeeper whose return to the game is nothing short of miraculous, even beyond some of his remarkable innings, the world’s best fast bowler, and a highly skilled supporting cast in both batting and bowling. They didn’t even select two of the greatest spinners in their history and did not suffer for that decision. They have other key players ready to return for the second Test, including their regular captain. One performance doesn’t guarantee the next, especially with a 10-day gap in between, but in their pursuit of the exceptionally rare feat of winning three consecutive series in Australia, this team has given itself the best possible start.
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