Team India completed a remarkable feat in wrapping up a convincing 295-run win over Australia in the first Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth.
Chasing down a target of 534, Australia never looked comfortable in the chase. Travis Head was once again India’s tormentor-in-chief, plundering 89 runs in double-quick time before Jasprit Bumrah snaffled him with some excellent quick bowling. Marsh and Carey showed some resistance with scores of 47 and 36, but it was too little too late as the Aussies were bundled out for 238, handing India a 295-run victory to savour.
Many had written off India’s chances before the game, who came into the series on the back of a 3-0 whitewash by New Zealand at home. They were without their usual captain in Rohit Sharma, their usual number 3, and an outstanding fast bowler in Shami. But the team bounced back from being bundled out for 150 runs on day 1 to complete a stunning win.
Stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah was given the Man of the Match award for his cumulative figures of 8-72, including a stirring spell on day 1 that gave Indian belief. But he wasn’t the only standout performer. Yashasvi Jaiswal bounced back from being dismissed for a duck in the first innings with a magnificent 161 in the second innings, and he wasn’t the only Indian batter to stand up and be counted. Virat Kohli broke his international century drought by scoring his 81st international century in style.
This was Australia’s first-ever Test loss at the Optus stadium, one handed to them by a team with a pair of debutants in the Indian ranks, and four players with only four caps between them. That they took on the best Australia could throw at them, on one of the fastest wickets in the world, makes this win all the more remarkable. As a child of the ‘90s, watching an Indian team go toe-to-toe with an Australian team in Perth and trounce them in style is a sight one never thought he’d see.
The scale of this achievement and its contrast with previous tours can be summed up in a simple stat: this is India’s fifth Test victory in Australia since 2018. The previous 70 years yielded only five Test wins in total. If the previous Border-Gavaskar Trophy win was made remarkable by the new faces in the team, this series too holds the potential to elevate some new names to stardom. Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy acquitted themselves well, and Jaiswal announced himself to a global audience in some style with the willow.
There are sure to be repercussions in the Australian dressing room, as heads will roll. Expect a few new faces in the Australian dugout, and perhaps a familiar old one in the Indian XI as Rohit Sharma returns from paternity leave. But that is a pleasant headache to be mulled over later. For now, the Indian team, and indeed fans of Indian cricket, will savour this win for some time to come, as it lays down a marker for the rest of the series.
