AUSTRALIA VS INDIA, 1ST TEST, INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA, 2024-25: India Crushed Australia’s Dreams in Epic 295-Run Victory .
Centuries by Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli, complemented by Jasprit Bumrah’s outstanding bowling performance, led India to a massive 295-run victory over Australia in the first Test the five-match series. Needing 534 to win, Australia struggled and eventually collapsed for 238 as India dismissed them regularly. For India, both Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets, while Washington Sundar contributed with two. On Australia’s side, Travis Head was the standout performer with a score of 89 runs, followed by Mitchell Marsh’s 47 and Alex Carey’s 36. Earlier in the match, Jaiswal scored 161, and Kohli celebrated his significant 30th Test century. This win gives India a 1-0 lead in the series. India Crushed Australia’s Dreams in Epic 295-Run Victory .
TOSS
India won the toss and chose to bat.
Australia Squad:
Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
India Squad:
KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Mohammed Siraj
DAY-1
Josh Hazlewood spearheaded Australia’s attack, disrupting India in the opening two sessions of the series. Both he and Mitchell Starc claimed two wickets each by the morning session’s conclusion when India lost four early wickets. Starc initiated the collapse, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal for a duck at gully. Devdutt Padikkal, stepping in for injured Shubman Gill, was caught off-guard due to poor foot movement and was dismissed by Hazlewood with a delivery that seamed 1.39 degrees—the second highest seam from the fast bowler in that session. Virat Kohli appeared apprehensive and succumbed to Hazlewood’s extra bounce, edging to Usman Khawaja at first slip. KL Rahul skillfully managed the seam movement but fell to a disputed decision. Facing Starc, he angled his bat close to his body as the ball narrowly missed the edge, though a spike on the snicko was observed coinciding with the bat touching the pad. The third umpire found this evidence sufficient to reverse the on-field ruling.
Post-lunch, Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar were dismissed by Mitchell Marsh. Following this, Rishabh Pant and Nitish Reddy established a 48-run partnership, utilizing the chances offered—Pant survived a drop by Cummins and a non-reviewed caught-behind appeal against Nitish. Nitish displayed exceptional form, managing bounce effectively against the fast bowlers and capitalizing on scoring chances against Nathan Lyon to bolster India’s score.
Pat Cummins exploited Pant’s strengths from around the wicket, only to deceive him from over the wicket, disrupting the partnership and hastening India’s collapse. Nitish attempted to increase the run rate and reached the 40s before India was bowled out for 150.
Jasprit Bumrah’s intense initial spell of 6-2-9-3 set the tone, later claiming another wicket as India rebounded strongly after being dismissed for 150 on the first day of the Perth Test. He kicked off by trapping newcomer Nathan McSweeney leg before in the third over with a fuller delivery that swung back in. A successful review was required to see the opener depart. Soon after, he believed he had Marnus Labuschagne caught without scoring, but Virat Kohli dropped an easy catch at second slip. Bumrah relentlessly delivered challenging balls to Labuschagne, who was constantly squared up and repeatedly beaten. As Usman Khawaja began to loosen up against Mohammed Siraj at the opposite end, Bumrah went around the stumps and delivered a short ball, which moved away to catch Khawaja’s bat and found Kohli’s hands.
Australia was genuinely unsettled when a speedy 141 kmph full ball swung in sharply, trapping Steve Smith directly in front for a first-ball duck. These initial breakthroughs energized India as they rallied around each other, with Bumrah bringing in Harshit Rana. Labuschagne struggled against the debutant, taking a hit on his body and being thoroughly beaten outside the off-stump. Travis Head found himself in a position to counter-attack, but Rana’s angle from round the stumps deceived him. Rana delivered a ball that angled in and slightly straightened to beat the outside edge of Head’s bat, dismantling the stumps for his first Test wicket.
Mohammed Siraj joined the attack, dismissing Mitchell Marsh and Labuschagne, leaving Australia six wickets down. Marsh faced a back-of-length ball that straightened unexpectedly, sending a catch off the outside edge to KL Rahul at third slip, who made a superb, low grab. Labuschagne’s struggle—scoring just 2 off 52 balls—ended when Siraj trapped him leg before with a vicious in-seaming delivery. As the session drew to a close, Bumrah returned for another spell and took a fourth wicket, dismissing Pat Cummins caught behind. Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc played defensively for 2.4 overs, sustaining no further losses. They ended the day seven wickets down with an 83-run lead.
DAY 2-
The second day commenced with Jasprit Bumrah quickly diminishing Australia’s chance for a significant comeback by removing the in-form Alex Carey with his first delivery. Carey, who entered with strong first-class performances, edged a ball to Rishabh Pant in the day’s second over. India bowled with renewed vigor, with Harshit Rana operating from the opposite end, unsettling Mitchell Starc and delivering sharp bouncers to Nathan Lyon.
Lyon gloved a bouncer to KL Rahul at third slip, reducing Australia to nine down with just 79 runs. A stubborn tenth-wicket stand of 25 runs over 18 overs followed—Australia’s best of the innings—between Starc and Josh Hazlewood, pushing the team past 100. Rana returned to wrap up the innings at 104 with the wicket of Starc, granting India a crucial 46-run lead.
Pace on a ball seam much less for the Australian attack up to that point in the second innings, allowing for a great thick opening union between Rahul and Jaiswal who scored calm fifties apiece before taking charge of travels. The pair were watchful early on – Rahul circumspectly playing inside the line of the ball and with soft hands while Jaiswal curtailed his natural instincts of looking for quick runs before cutting loose under bright sunshine and on a surface that looked to have flattened out.
They continued with that in the final session too, though the ball started to extract uneven bounce. Rahul became only the second batter after Virender Sehwag to partner in three 100-plus opening stands in SENA countries since 2000. There were a few occasions when Australia saw a breakthrough – Starc elicited an edge from Jaiswal which flew towards Usman Khawaja at first slip. The ball got too low on him, and he couldn’t get his palms underneath as the red cherry dropped just before him. He said it had come short but Starc was annoyed in any case.
The very next ball, Rahul survived a run out chance when he scampered for a quick single after Jaiswal played one off Lyon to point. The left-hander though sent Rahul back after he had travelled two-thirds of the way, and had to hare back. Thankfully for him, Steve Smith, the batter, was not able to hit the stumps directly. Jaiswal was first to his fifty – his ninth in the format – off 120 deliveries – and Rahul brought up his off 124. Jaiswal also clobbered a flicked six off Starc and then exchanged some words with the quick. He clonked another six — off Lyon, over the long-on fence — for a new record for most sixes in Tests in a calendar year (34)
That India overhauled their first-innings score without the loss of a wicket and that Australia finished off both their bowling stints with the medium-pace of Marnus Labuschagne encapsulated not of the first phase of the process but of a decisive shift of the balance of play in favour of the visitors.
DAY 3-
Earlier through the day, KL Rahul and Jaiswal resumed to where they left off as they registered India’s first 200-run opening partnership in Australia. Yashasvi Jaiswal raised his fourth Test century with a ramp over fine-leg for a six. Jaiswal had grimly learnt his lesson from the first innings as second time around, he just pre-determined himself to greet the ball from the backfoot as many times as he could which helped him slip into the bounce off the deck. Rahul, however, was caught behind off Starc for 77.
Australia managed a brief recovery as they quickly took four wickets. Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed first after Lunch, edging the ball to the keeper. Jaiswal, who had some near run-out scares, transformed his century into 150. His remarkable innings ended when he hit a delivery from Mitchell Marsh to point. Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel were dismissed in successive overs for one run each. Pant missed a big shot against Marsh and was smartly stumped by Carey after Lyon delivered a wide as expected. Jurel was out LBW to Cummins, with DRS confirming the ball barely touched the stumps.
Contrary to his first innings, Kohli appeared composed at the crease, leaving balls outside the off-stump with confidence on Sunday. He executed classic drives in his 143-ball innings, capitalizing on loose balls, and reached fifty with a flick to mid-wicket. Sundar and Kohli rotated the strike efficiently, countering any pitch challenges until Sundar attempted a wild slog-sweep off Nathan Lyon that bowled him. By this time, Australia was visibly exhausted, having endured two days of 34-degree heat in Western Australia.
This fatigue allowed India to capitalize, as Nitish entered with aggression, lofting one for six over backward square against Mitchell Marsh. He then struck three more boundaries off Marsh in the next over, also freeing up Kohli, who hit a six off Lyon. Both players consistently found boundaries against a defeated Australian side until Kohli swept one to fine leg for four, reaching his century.
India declared immediately, sending Australia to bat for 27 minutes, during which chaos unfolded for the hosts. Nathan McSweeney faced a disappointing Test debut, missing a nip-backer from Jasprit Bumrah. Meanwhile, Pat Cummins, who promoted himself as night-watchman, edged a ball to Kohli in the slips off Mohammed Siraj. In the day’s last over, Marnus Labuschagne was out LBW after he did not attempt a shot against Bumrah. India now requires seven wickets over the next two days to secure a win.
DAY 4
Australia, having resumed at 12 for 3, faced a daunting target of 510 runs on Day 4. Their struggles continued as Mohammed Siraj got Usman Khawaja to top-edge a pull, caught by Rishabh Pant. Travis Head, who scored 89, shared a 62-run partnership with Steve Smith and then an 82-run partnership with Mitchell Marsh, who scored 47. Head played confidently, while Smith adjusted his approach by waiting for the ball rather than shuffling outside his off-stump. However, Siraj dismissed Smith with an outside off-stump delivery, and Bumrah claimed Head’s crucial wicket right after Lunch in his first over. Marsh then chopped a ball onto his stumps off Nitish Reddy, and Mitchell Starc was caught brilliantly by Dhruv Jurel at forward short leg just before Tea.
Nathan Lyon, entering right after the Tea break, was bowled for zero on his second ball as he misjudged a straight delivery from Washington Sundar, expecting the turn. Alex Carey held on for a while, adding 36 to the scoreboard and causing India some frustration, but he was bowled by Harshit Rana, clinching the comprehensive victory for the visitors shortly after the Tea break.
Brief Scores:
India scored 150 (with Nitish Kumar Reddy scoring 41, Rishabh Pant 37; Josh Hazlewood taking 4-29, and Mitchell Marsh 2-12) and declared at 487/6 (Yashasvi Jaiswal at 161, Virat Kohli remaining not out at 100, KL Rahul adding 77; Nathan Lyon took 2-96) to defeat Australia who scored 104 (Mitchell Starc making 26 and Alex Carey 21, with Jasprit Bumrah taking 5-30, and Harshit Rana 3-48) and 238 (Travis Head scoring 89, Mitchell Marsh 47; Jasprit Bumrah took 3-42, and Mohammed Siraj 3-51) by a margin of 295 runs.