India Establishes Strong Lead Against Australia After Jaiswal and Kohli Centuries, Followed by Bumrah’s Late Wickets

On day three of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth, India established a commanding position against Australia. India posted scores of 150 (Hazlewood 4-29) and 487-6 declared (Jaiswal 161, Kohli 100*). Australia responded with 104 (Bumrah 5-30) and 12-3 (Bumrah 2-1). Australia now requires 522 runs to win, with seven wickets remaining. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli each scored significant centuries, and Jasprit Bumrah secured two late wickets, placing India in a strong position against Australia at the close of play on day three of the first Test. Opener Jaiswal’s impressive 161 was instrumental for India, as he and KL Rahul achieved a record first-wicket partnership of 201 for India in Australia. Following this, Kohli contributed an unbeaten 100 runs at Perth’s Optus Stadium, leading India to declare their second innings at 487-6. Facing a target of 534 for victory, a fatigued Australian side had an challenging 24-minute period to bat before stumps. Jasprit Bumrah, India’s stand-in captain, who appeared rested, dismissed Nathan McSweeney lbw with the fourth ball of Australia’s innings. Australia captain Pat Cummins, batting as nightwatchman, subsequently edged Mohammed Siraj’s delivery to Kohli at second slip. Bumrah claimed another wicket in his third over, dismissing Marnus Labuschagne lbw. Ball-tracking technology confirmed the on-field decision after the Australian batter reviewed it. With two days remaining in the match, Australia theoretically retains the possibility of batting for a draw or pursuing a record total to secure a victory. The highest successful fourth-innings total to win a Test currently stands at 418-7, achieved by West Indies against Australia at St John’s in May 2003. Australia’s own record for a successful fourth-innings chase in a Test is 404-3, set against England at Headingley in July 1948. Nevertheless, given the pitch conditions featuring movement and uneven bounce, India holds a significant advantage to win the inaugural match of the five-Test series. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s century was highlighted by a ramped six. Jaiswal made his international debut with an impressive 171 in a Test against West Indies in July 2023. His second Test century outside India, and fourth overall, is expected to be a memorable achievement for the 22-year-old. The fact that this century was scored against an experienced Australian bowling attack, collectively holding over 1,400 Test wickets, added to its significance. Jaiswal, who began the day at 90 runs, reached his fourth Test century off 205 balls in a notable fashion, hitting a short delivery from Josh Hazlewood for six. He celebrated by spreading his arms, closing his eyes, and looking skyward. Additionally, several records were established. The opening partnership between Jaiswal and fellow opener Rahul surpassed the 191 runs scored by Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1986, establishing it as the highest for an Indian opening pair in Australia. Jaiswal, youthful and agile, had verbally challenged Mitchell Starc regarding his pace on day two and demonstrated considerable resilience when facing short-pitched deliveries and verbal exchanges. Upon his eventual dismissal, slicing Mitch Marsh to point, Jaiswal remained at the crease, appearing to be in disbelief. His desire for runs, despite scoring 161 from 297 balls with 15 fours and three sixes, seemed unfulfilled. Jaiswal’s dismissal initiated a brief Australian resurgence, with three wickets falling for eight runs, before Virat Kohli took command of the match with an impressive innings. Kohli’s performance was characteristic, initially cautious before displaying his array of elegant drives and skillful pulls. When Kohli struck Nathan Lyon for a six straight down the ground, as he and Nitesh Reddy increased the scoring rate, anticipation heightened. Consistently performing well in crucial moments, Kohli achieved his seventh Test century on Australian soil with a flick to fine leg, after which India declared. This innings concluded a period of low scores for Kohli, who had averaged 14 in his previous seven Test innings, which could be a concerning sign for the Australian team for the rest of the series. Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 100 runs came off 143 balls, including eight fours and two sixes. India’s bowlers inflicted damage on Australia by taking three early wickets. Following the eventful first day, which saw 17 wickets fall, the match largely settled into a more typical Test cricket pattern. This changed in the final half-hour, however, when a disoriented Australian team, having spent the day fielding, struggled during a rapid 4.2 overs. Their top-order weaknesses, evident in the first innings, were again apparent in this session. Cummins’ choice to bat at number three as a nightwatchman, after having captained and bowled, appeared particularly ill-advised following his edge to Siraj. India could have reasonably continued batting to exhaust Australia, but under coach Gautam Gambhir, there has been an inclination towards a more aggressive approach. Considering the circumstances, Bumrah, a bowler, serving as stand-in captain might have been beneficial, especially as regular skipper Rohit Sharma had recently arrived in Australia following the birth of his second child. During an intense period of play at the end of the day, Bumrah sensed an opportunity and aggressively pursued wickets. McSweeney had struggled against the Indian fast bowler in the first innings, and this time he lasted only four balls, dismissed lbw by a low-bouncing delivery. Following Cummins’ dismissal, the day concluded with Labuschagne being troubled by a delivery from Bumrah that nipped back, resulting in his lbw dismissal. Meanwhile, Usman Khawaja observed the unfolding events from the non-striker’s end. Much will now rest on him and the experienced Steve Smith to recover the situation. Given the challenging nature of the pitch, it will present a significant test of both their batting technique and mental strength. India batter Yashasvi Jaiswal stated: “For me all my centuries are amazing, but this is special because I really wanted to do it against Australia.” He added: “I worked so hard in every practice session, I wanted to score runs here in Australia, so I really enjoyed it.” Jaiswal concluded: “I was just playing normally, I always trust in me and believe in me.” Australia bowler Josh Hazlewood commented: “I think it’s just about the batters sticking to their plans tomorrow, batting some time.” He continued: “It’s obviously a long series so if we can put some overs into their top quicks, that’s one of the goals.” Hazlewood added: “And if some guys find some form and score 80, 90 or 100, that’s probably the positives we can take out of it.”