At the Optus Stadium in Perth, India thoroughly defeated Australia in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024–25). India chose to bat first after winning the toss, but Australia held them to an only 150 runs. However, the visitors displayed outstanding ball-handling skills, and Indian pacers claimed all ten wickets as the hosts were bowled out for a mere 104 runs.
When the grass wore out, the Indian team used the batting-friendly surface in their second innings. Yashasvi Jaiswal achieved his first century in Australia with a score of 161 off 297, which was nicely supported by KL Rahul’s 77 off 176. Virat Kohli’s 81st century, however, was the icing on the cake. Team India declared on 487/6 as soon as the star batsman for India ended his six-year century draught in Test cricket. Australia, the hosts, were thus given a daunting 534-run target.
On Day 3, the Indian pacers were once more in form and took three Australian wickets ahead of the Stumps. Day 4 saw the collapse deepen as Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj unleashed length and sharp lines. Travis Head (89) and Mitchell Marsh (47), who shared 82 runs for the sixth wicket, gave their team a little reprieve. But it was either a win or a draw.
India triumphed by 295 runs thanks to three wickets apiece from Siraj and stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah, two from Washington Sundar, and one from Harshith Rana. It’s also important to remember that Bumrah was the main factor in Australia’s poor first-inning batting performance. With only 30 runs conceded in 18 overs, the interim Indian skipper picked a fifer. The next match in the five-match series will be a pink ball encounter in Adelaide, with India leading 1-0.
Here’s how the fans reacted to India’s dominant win over Australia in Perth:
Team India passes Perth Test by 295 runs! Proud Moment 🇮🇳 #AUSvIND
— S.Badrinath (@s_badrinath) November 25, 2024
Jasprit Bumrah: leader, top draw.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) November 25, 2024
Now that’s how to play in Australia .. Brilliant team display by India .. #AUSvIND
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) November 25, 2024
Australia has a long tradition of going after the head of the snake i.e. the captain of the opposition. This time, the head of the snake went after them, and they didn’t know where to hide. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/7VGJQLIqjP
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) November 25, 2024
Good start to the series #teamindia #AUSvIND #BGT 🙌🏽🙌🏽 #pictureperfect
— Pragyan Ojha (@pragyanojha) November 25, 2024
व्यक्तिगत दुश्मनी थी, बदला तो लेना ही था #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/FjJCNAVsqs
— Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1) November 25, 2024
We did it – 1-0 Up and onwards
Let’s go boys #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/dWY2KOgwHv— रोहित जुगलान Rohit Juglan (@rohitjuglan) November 25, 2024
Has there been a greater shift in a team’s fortunes than this? Only weeks ago India had been whitewashed in their own backyard. And now, they are handing Australia one of their biggest and most bitter defeats for decades on Australian soil. Well played Bumrah and Co#BGT #INDvAUS
— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) November 25, 2024
This is proper beating by team India.This dominating victory of India will dent Australia’s confidence going forward in this series. #BGT
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) November 25, 2024
India defeating Australia by 295 runs in 1st BGT test pic.twitter.com/VmKZEctGOr
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) November 25, 2024