Australia v India: Fast-bowlers dominate as Jasprit Bumrah stuns hosts in Perth Test

Aussies tottering at 67-7 after dismissing visitors for 150 on opening day of five-match series

India captain Jasprit Bumrah celebrates taking the wicket of Australian counterpart Pat Cummins on Day 1 of the first Test in Perth on November 22, 2024. Getty Images

Jasprit Bumrah celebrates trapping Steve Smith lbw first ball. Australia finished the day on 67-7. EPA

Australia's Nathan McSweeney reacts to being adjudged lbw at the Optus Stadium in Perth. AFP

Debutant Harshit Rana after taking the wicket of Travis Head of Australia. Getty Images

Australia’s Travis Head is clean bowled by Harshit Rana for 11. AFP

India's Mohammed Siraj appeals successfully for the wicket of Australia's Marnus Labuschagne after his 52-ball innings of two. AP

Josh Hazlewood after taking the wicket of Virat Kohli for five. Getty Images

Josh Hazlewood celebrates with teammates taking the wicket of Devdutt Padikkal. The Australian bowler finished with figures of 4-29. EPA

Nitish Kumar Reddy top-scored for India with 41 on his debut as the tourists were bowled out for 150. EPA

Fast-bowlers made batting a nightmare on a fiery pitch in Perth as India took control of the opening day of the five-Test series on Friday.

Stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah (4-17) bowled a lethal new-ball spell as Australia were reduced to 67-7 after the visitors were bowled out for just 150.

Bumrah was unplayable with the new ball, getting debutant Nathan McSweeney lbw and then finding the outside edge of Usman Khawaja to slip.

Bumrah then got the prized scalp of Steve Smith first ball, trapping the batting mainstay plumb in front.

Debutant fast bowler Harshit Rana castled India's long-time nemesis Travis Head with a peach from round the wicket before Mohammad Siraj struck important blows in his second spell, first having Mitchell Marsh edge at slip and then getting the obdurate Marnus Labuschagne lbw for a 52-ball two.

Bumrah returned to claim the wicket of his counterpart Pat Cummins caught behind in fading light.

Australia's ploy of exposing India's out-of-form line-up on a green-top backfired as their own batsmen struggled to put bat to ball against a relentless Indian pace attack that drew excessive movement and bounce off the pitch throughout the third session.

Test and ODI world champions Australia would not have imagined such a dire situation after India's batsmen crumbled under an onslaught of pace on a lightning fast pitch.

Josh Hazlewood grabbed four wickets as Australia's red-hot pace attack tore through the Indian batting after captain Bumrah decided to bat first in treacherous conditions.

India had made a number of surprising calls going into the opening Test, leaving out veteran spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, instead handing debuts to all-rounder Nitish Reddy and Rana.

They also brought in middle order batsman Devdutt Padikkal straight into No 3 after Shubman Gill was ruled out due to injury.

India's batting was already under intense pressure after losing the preceding homes series to New Zealand 3-0. And in the absence of captain Rohit Sharma and in-form Gill, they decided to strengthen their batting.

It did not work as opener Yashasvi Jaiswal departed without scoring in the third over, edging an attempted drive off Mitchell Starc to debutant McSweeney, who caught low at gully.

Left-hander Padikkal came in at three and survived a big lbw shout almost immediately. The ball was moving around all day with pace and bounce and no batsman looked comfortable at the Optus Stadium.

The nervy Padikkal faced 23 deliveries without scoring before his luck ran out when Hazlewood induced an edge that was easily taken by wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

That brought an under-pressure Virat Kohli to the crease, in need of a big score after only two Test centuries in the last five years and with questions being raised about his spot in the side.

Kohli tried to play some positive strokes and even batted well outside the crease but lasted just 12 balls before fending off a rising delivery from Hazlewood that took an edge to Khawaja at slip.

Then came the most controversial moment of the contest when a well-set KL Rahul, batting in 26, was given out caught behind off Starc upon review even though they were no conclusive replays to show whether the bat hit the ball or his pad when a spike was detected in Snicko.

It was left to to wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant once again to resurrect the innings. He played some audacious strokes during his innings of 37, including a six over fine leg on one knee. But wickets kept falling at the other end.

Dhruv Jurel, who had a good tour with the A team in Australia, surviving barely 10 minutes before succumbing to Australia's T20 captain Marsh on 11.

Marsh tempted Jurel into a thick edge that carried to third slip Labuschagne.

He struck again soon after to remove Sundar, gloving to wicketkeeper Carey to leave the visitors staring down the barrel on 73-6.

It was left to debutant Reddy, batting at No 8, to rescue the innings, and he did so while playing proper shots. Reddy bats higher up the order in first-class cricket and is more of a batting all-rounder. Having him bat so late the innings turned out to be a blessing for the team as he held the lower half together.

Pant led the mini recovery, steering them past 100 after surviving a difficult dropped catch.

However, captain Cummins ended Pant's exploits, getting the keeper to edge a drive to Smith at slip before Hazlewood removed Rana (seven) and Bumrah (eight).

Reddy (41) kept up the attack from the other end, taking the innings to a half-decent score before becoming the last batsman to fall, caught at mid wicket off the bowling of Cummins.

Hazlewood finished with 4-29 while Starc, Marsh and Cummins all claimed two wickets each.