India vs Australia LIVE Score 1st Test: IND 150 all out; Reddy, Pant spares visitors the blushes

India vs Australia LIVE Score 1st Test: Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy have managed to put some pressure back on the Aussies

KL Rahul earlier kept India going for most of the first session as he watched wickets fall at the other end. But his innings ended in rather controversial circumstances towards the end of the first session. The last man to fall for the visitors before Rahul was Virat Kohli, who got first slip after scoring just five runs and that has brought in Rishabh Pant. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal earlier fell for ducks to Mitchell Starc. Padikkal fell for a 23-ball duck while Jaiswal fell to Starc off the first ball in the pacer’s second over of the day. Rahul opened the batting with Jaiswal and he was joined by Padikkal after the latter fell. Padikkal was filling in for the injured Shubman Gill at No.3.

India’s stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah earlier won the toss and elected to bat first. The visitors have left out Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, opting to go with Washington Sundar as their lone spinner, while giving debuts to pacer Harshit Rana and fast-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. Ashwin gave Rana his maiden cap while Virat Kohli did the same for Reddy.

Even before 2024 began, the five-Test series between India and Australia had become the biggest talking point in Indian cricket. This despite the fact that the T20 World Cup is a major highlight of the year. Perhaps it was the lingering euphoria of India’s unprecedented series win in Australia, or that India couldn’t wait to get back at the Aussies to cause them two major heartaches in 2023. Who can forget November 19? Heck, we just completed a year of the date.

However, a lot of water has flown under the bridge. Rahul Dravid has finished his tenure as India coach and has been replaced by Gautam Gambhir, who has had a bit of a tumultuous start to his tenure. Facing Australia when he is slightly in the firing line is never ideal, but a glass half empty is also half full. Gambhir wants to see out the five-Test series against Australia, the first of which begins today at Perth’s Optus Stadium.

Perth, a venue that has historically proved a nightmare for batsmen with its famous bounce and pace, has also claimed India as one of its victims. 1992, 2012 and 2018 will reopen old wounds. But if India have endured their share of disappointments in Perth, they have some wonderful memories to look back on from the 2008 tour when they went down in Sydney in one of the most scandalous and controversial Test matches of all time, Anil Kumble and Irfan . Pathan spun and swung India to a memorable victory.

But this is not 2008. India are a far more competitive team than the one that tamed the mighty Aussies in menacing Perth. It is only because of their recent 0-3 whitewash to New Zealand at home that the world has turned against them. Like last time, Australians don’t give Indians a chance. They have declared Australia the outright winners with some bold and daring 3-1, 4-1 predictions. But if there’s one thing the opposition should know about India, it’s that they are most dangerous when cornered.

So what if captain Rohit Sharma is not around? Vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will be keen to outdo his colleague Pat Cummins in this rare clash between fast bowling captains. Bumrah has captained India in just one Test match before – the result was not one fans would want to remember – but India’s pace spearhead has a sharp mind and has gone on record to say he can take better care of his body , when he leads. But for all the credentials that Bumrah possesses, he will feel the pressure… and then some.

Bumrah is not the only one facing the heat. The one and only indestructible Virat Kohli finds himself in the middle of no man’s land. Runs are hard to come by and his recent sacks are ringing big alarm bells. At 36, is Kohli on the downswing? Not a single cricketer will tell you that, and rightly so. It’s no secret that Kohli is no longer the force he once was, yet rule him out at your peril. He’s all over Australian media – from billboards to newspapers to TV screens – such is the hype around him. From first coming Down Under as a cheeky, arrogant 24-year-old to cementing himself as a legend, Kohli’s rise has been instrumental. But at the moment there is no better place than Australia to rekindle the hunger that made him a running monster in the first place.

Plenty has been made of India’s team combination for the Perth Test. Well, this being Perth, four pacers should be a no-brainer. Bumrah and Shami are safe, but the names of Harshit Rana all-rounder Nitish Reddy have cropped up for the other two quicks. Akash Deep hasn’t done bad either, so that number can also go up to five. Between Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, only one will play. On the batting front, KL Rahul is set to open and the addition of Devdutt Padikkal to the squad could only mean that he would bat at no. 3.

From the Australian camp, if there is one cricketer who has made as much news, if not more, than David Warner, it is Nathan McSweeney. Touted as one of the next big things in Australian cricket, he and Usman Khawaja would be responsible for seeing the new ball. Australia’s failed experiment with Steve Smith will see him return to the no. 4 where he has troubled India the most. Despite the presence of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Cummins, it is Nathan Lyon who could well prove to be the deciding factor in the match. Australia last won a Test series against India back in 2014/15 and Cummins, who has not put a foot wrong, will be keen to add the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to his already impressive list of achievements.

Here are some key points from India vs Australia 1st Test:

– Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy gave India some momentum with a 48-run stand for the seventh wicket

– India lost Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar to Mitchell Marsh early in the second session

– India were 51/4 in 25 overs at lunch

– KL Rahul’s long spell ended in controversial circumstances when he fell to Starc after scoring 26 runs in 72 balls

– Virat Kohli fell after scoring five runs to Josh Hazlewood

– Jaiswal fell for an eight-ball duck while Padikkal failed to score after facing 23 balls

– Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal fell for ducks to Mitchell Starc

– Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and India elected to bat first

– India have not lost a Test series to Australia in almost 10 years.

– The Perth Test marks a very rare occasion when both team captains are fast bowlers, with Jasprit Bumrah stepping in for Rohit Sharma to lead India.

– Virat Kohli has scored over 1300 runs from 13 Tests in Australia, including six centuries

– India have played 4 Test matches in Perth since 1992, losing three and winning one.