Key Highlights:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal departs for a duck: India had a rocky start as Mitchell Starc dismissed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in the very first over for 0. The early breakthrough has put pressure on India as Devdutt Padikkal joined KL Rahul at the crease.
- India opts to bat first: Stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah made the bold call to bat first on a green wicket in Perth. The decision to take on Australia’s pace-heavy attack early reflects India’s confidence despite the challenging conditions.
- Debutants for India: India handed maiden Test caps to Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Both will play key roles, with Harshit adding pace to the attack and Nitish expected to contribute as an all-rounder.
India Playing XI:
- 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 Playing XI:
- Usman Khawaja
- Nathan McSweeney
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steven Smith
- Travis Head
- Mitchell Marsh
- Alex Carey (wk)
- Pat Cummins (c)
- Mitchell Starc
- Nathan Lyon
- Josh Hazlewood
Match Context:
India enters this Border-Gavaskar Trophy as the defending champions, aiming to extend their decade-long dominance in the series. With Jasprit Bumrah leading the side in Rohit Sharma’s absence, the Men in Blue are under pressure to maintain their stellar record against Australia. Meanwhile, Pat Cummins’ side is hungry to reclaim the trophy, with the Perth green-top providing a perfect stage for their pace battery.