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On Monday, November 25, the Indian cricket team registered a dominating 295-run win over Australia in the first Test of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The day four of the Test match saw India bundle out Australia for just 238 runs in their second innings as their captain Jasprit Bumrah led from the front with the ball while defending a mammoth total, to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
At the start of day four, Australia had an indomitable task of chasing down 534-run total after losing their first three wickets last evening, but they had their experienced pairing of Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith at the crease. In just the second over of the morning session, Mohammed Siraj picked up the vital wicket of Usman Khawaja cheaply, who could just spoon a pull stroke in the air for wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant to take a running catch.
Travis Head took the attack to the Indian pacers after his arrival at the crease while Steve Smith struggled his way to a laboured 17 off 60, following which Mohammed Siraj dismissed on a peach of a delivery. Mitchell Marsh (47 off 67) and Travis Head (89 off 101) stitched together an 82-run stand for the fifth wicket before the latter was dismissed by stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah.
Shortly after, Nitish Kumar Reddy picked up his first wicket, getting Mitchell Marsh to chop the ball onto his stumps, to put Australia completely out of the contest. Alex Carey tried hard to delay the inevitable with his 36 off 58, but debutant Harshit Rana deceived him with a well disguised slower ball, shattering his stumps, to help India secure a historic first Test win against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
Captain Jasprit Bumrah was adjudicated as the player of the match for picking up eight wickets across both the innings, including a five-wicket haul in the first innings, which helped the visitors set up the victory.
