Fri Nov 22 10:18:38 UTC 2024: ## Bumrah Leads India in Tense First Day Against Australia

**Perth, Australia –** India’s first Test against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy got off to a dramatic start at the Optus Stadium in Perth on November 22nd, 2024. In the absence of regular captain Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah led the team.

India, winning the toss, elected to bat first but were bowled out for 150 runs. Nitish Rana top-scored with 41 runs, while Josh Hazlewood took four wickets for Australia. Several Indian batsmen struggled, including Virat Kohli (5 runs) and KL Rahul.

Australia’s response was equally shaky. Bumrah spearheaded a strong bowling attack, taking early wickets and leaving Australia reeling at 67/7 at the close of play. Alex Carey and Marnus Labuschagne remained unbeaten at the crease.

The match marks a crucial encounter in the five-match Test series. Historically, Australia holds a significant advantage over India in Test matches, particularly on Australian soil (45 wins to India’s 32 in 107 matches overall; 30 wins to India’s 9 in 52 Tests played in Australia). This first day’s play, however, suggests a closely fought contest ahead.

**Playing XIs:**

**India:** KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Mohammed Siraj.

**Australia:** Usman Khawaja, Nathan McAndrew, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

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