Indian skipper Jasprit Bumrah has led from the front with the ball, taking three wickets in his first spell on Day 1 of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Test in Perth. He started by trapping Nathan McSweeney LBW in the third over and later dismissed Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith off consecutive deliveries in the seventh.
With just 150 runs on the board in the first innings, Bumrah needed to deliver with the ball to keep India in the game. Although he nearly removed Marnus Labuschagne for a duck, Virat Kohli’s dropped catch gave the batter a lifeline.
Switching to around the wicket for the left-handed Khawaja, Bumrah struck immediately. The opener edged a delivery that nipped away to second slip, where Kohli made no mistake this time.
Steve Smith, batting at No. 4 for the first time since the Pakistan series in late 2023, faced a full delivery that moved sharply in after pitching. The middle-order batter was in poor position to play a shot, with his bat failing to adjust to the movement, leaving him well outside the off stump.
The umpire raised his finger immediately, and despite a brief discussion with Labuschagne at the other end, Smith chose not to review. The former captain was dismissed for a golden duck.
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Australia were reduced to 19/3 after seven overs, thanks to Bumrah’s brilliant over.
Bumrah’s figures stand at 5-2-8-3 so far.
The pacer has been exceptional in the first innings, exploiting the conditions to great effect. He has kept Labuschagne tied down at one end and still has time to make a bigger impact in the final session of the day. Bumrah has bowled five overs, conceding just eight runs and taking two wickets, including two maiden overs.
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