Tag: Australia vs India

Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood was cleared of his injury on Friday and is set to reunite with fellow pace spearheads Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc for the crunch third Test of the Boder-Gavaskar Trophy against India in Brisbane.

The five-match series is finely poised at 1-1 after the visitors won the first game in Perth by 295 runs before crumbling to a 10-wicket defeat with the pink ball in Adelaide.

Hazlewood took five wickets in Perth but picked up a side strain that ruled him out of the next clash.

Scott Boland performed admirably in his place, but it was not enough to save him.

“Josh Hazlewood comes back. He’s had no hiccups, he had a really good bowl yesterday and a couple of days previous,” skipper Cummins told reporters. “Him and the medical team are super confident.”

There are no other changes for the Test starting Saturday.

Cummins admitted it was hard to leave out Boland, but suggested he could still play a part in the series.

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“It’s tough, he was fantastic in Adelaide,” he said of the 35-year-old seamer, who bagged five wickets in the match.

“He’s unfortunately spent a fair bit of time on the bench over the past 18 months. And whenever he’s played, he’s been fantastic.

“A shame for Scotty, but still a fair bit to play out this series. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t get another crack at some point.”

The Gabba used to be a fortress for Australia, who were unbeaten there since 1988 until India finally breached it in 2021 to clinch their four-Test series 2-1.

Australia won their next two Tests in Brisbane, against England and South Africa, but were upset again earlier this year by the West Indies.

Cummins played down the significance of results at particular venues.

“It’s just a venue really. We play at dozens and dozens of venues each year,” he said.

“It’s always good coming back to a place that is familiar. As a player you can look back at times where you might have scored runs or taken wickets,” he said. “But the scoreboard starts at 0-0 so the venue isn’t the be-all-and-end-all.”

Australia Squad for third Test against India

Nathan McSweeney, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

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ADELAIDE: Irrepressible Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Starc claimed his career-best bowling figures to bundle India for 180 on day one of the pink-ball Test of the Boder-Gavaskar Trophy here on Friday.

After India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss on an overcast day at Adelaide Oval, the visitors were dismissed on the cusp of tea.

The menacing Starc, who gave Australia a dream start by removing India opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal with the first ball of the match, took 6-48. Scott Boland and Pat Cummins both grabbed two each.

Six wickets went down in the second session, including Rohit for three and the flamboyant Rishabh Pant for 21.

Pant should have gone for five, but Nathan McSweeney spilled a sharp chance in the gully after the dangerous Boland, in the side for the injured Josh Hazlewood, drew an edge.

But the 35-year-old seamer got his reward four balls later, beating Rohit’s bat to trap him lbw.

A big innings was needed from Pant, but he was unable to deliver with a vicious climbing ball from Cummins bouncing off the shoulder of his bat and into the hands of Marnus Labuschagne.

Starc was brought back for another spell and was hostile once again, taking care of Ravichandran Ashwin (22) and Harshit Rana (0) in the space of four balls.

With India in trouble, Nitish Kumar Reddy decided to take charge, clobbering two big sixes in one Boland over to reach his highest Test score of 42 before he and Jasprit Bumrah fell to Starc and Cummins respectively.

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India came into the clash riding high after a 295-run victory at the first Test in Perth, but Australia have a formidable record in Adelaide, winning all seven pink-ball Tests they have played at the venue.

The visitors chose to retain Jaiswal and KL Rahul as openers in preference to Rohit, who missed the first Test on paternity leave and came in at six.

But the plan backfired as Starc sensationally trapped Jaiswal lbw from a swinging first ball, with the left-armer’s pumped-up celebration showing how much it meant.

The returning Shubman Gill, who was absent from Perth with a thumb injury, then stroked two boundaries in an eventful first over.

But the runs dried up and Rahul was at the crease for 40 minutes without scoring when he was given out, caught behind off Boland.

Rahul was walking off, but a no-ball was called and he survived. Five balls later he had another life, dropped by Usman Khawaja at slip.

Undeterred, the pair battled on, before Starc wove his magic again to remove Rahul for 37 with McSweeney holding a catch low at gully.

Virat Kohli roared back to form in Perth with an unbeaten second-innings century but he was no match for Mitchell Starc this time, out for seven when Steve Smith collected a catch in the slips.

Gill was impressive in weathering the storm, but his luck ran out just before the first break when he fell lbw on 31 to the relentless Boland.

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Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli is on the verge of breaking a 76-year-old record of legendary Sir Don Bradman during the remaining matches of the Border-Gavaskar Test series against Australia.

Kohli landed in Australia with the weight of his below-par form and a 16-month century drought.

However, he turned things around in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar series, displaying a masterclass in strokeplay to mark his return to form with an unbeaten knock of 100 runs off 143 balls in the second innings.

This was Kohli’s 30th Test century, which took him ahead of Bradman, who had 29 Test hundreds to his name, in the list of batters with the most centuries in the format.

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Notably, this was Kohli’s 10th century from 43 matches on Australian soil. This impressive feat placed him second on the list for the most international centuries scored by a visiting batter in a single country.

Kohli has scored seven Test centuries, alongside three centuries in ODI matches in Australia.

The record for the most centuries by a visiting batter in a single country is currently held by Don Bradman, who notched up 11 centuries in just 30 innings in England between 1930 and 1948.

With four matches remaining in the Border-Gavaskar series, Virat Kohli is standing on the brink of history, with the opportunity to surpass the remarkable record of Bradman.

Most Centuries by a Visiting Batter in a Single Country

• Don Bradman (Australia) – 11 centuries vs. England
• Virat Kohli (India) – 10 centuries vs. Australia
• Jack Hobbs (England) – 9 centuries vs. Australia
• Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 9 centuries vs. Sri Lanka
• Vivian Richards (West Indies) – 8 centuries vs. England
• Sunil Gavaskar (India) – 7 centuries vs. England

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Australia skipper Pat Cummins admitted that the crushing first Test loss to India “hurt”, but said his team is experienced enough to learn from it and will bounce back in the remaining matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The Indian side arrived in Australia on the back of a humiliating 3-0 home series defeat to New Zealand.

Moreover, their captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Shubman Gill were not available for the first Test. In their absence, India were bundled for a meagre 150 runs in the first innings.

However, Bumrah led the team’s remarkable comeback as they booked Australia to 104 to take a 46-run lead.

India declared their second innings after posting a massive 487-6, setting Australia a mountainous 534-run target. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli struck dominant centuries to set up the mammoth total.

In response, Australia crumbled to 238 all out in the final session on day four against an inspired attack led by the irrepressible Jasprit Bumrah, who took 3-42 to claim eight wickets in the match.

“Look, I think you kind of sit in the change room after a loss like that and it hurts,” said Pat Cummins after the match. “When a team declares on you, it’s never an amazing feeling. We’ve all been in these situations before.”

“The biggest challenge and the most important thing is how do you bounce back, what’s your next move?

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“So that’s what we’ve got to do this week. Clearly, we were well off the mark, there’s a lot to work on.

“The most important thing is there’s four Test matches to come and how do we make sure that we don’t be in this position again.”

The next Test is in Adelaide next week under lights with a pink ball, a format Australia has excelled at.

Cummins said they would likely arrive in the city earlier than first thought to work on ironing out the batting and bowling issues that cost them in Perth.

But despite allrounder Mitchell Marsh carrying some niggles and Marnus Labuschagne being badly out of form, he does not expect many, if any, changes.

“I think after every Test you always kind of look at what you think your best match-up is,” he said. “Four or five days ago, we thought this was our best 11 so I dare say there won’t be many changes going into Adelaide, but I’m not a selector.”

“I’m sure they’ll get together after the game, but yeah, not to be today and we’ve got a bit of work to do over the next 10 days.”

READ: “Didn’t see him out of form”: Jasprit Bumrah hails Virat Kohli

India stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah heaped high praise on star batter Virat Kohli after the crushing victory over Australia in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth on Monday.

The Indian side arrived in Australia on the back of a humiliating 3-0 home series defeat to New Zealand.

Moreover, their captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Shubman Gill were not available for the first Test. In their absence, India were bundled for a meagre 150 runs in the first innings.

However, Bumrah led the team’s remarkable comeback as they booked Australia to 104 to take a 46-run lead.

India declared their second innings after posting a massive 487-6, setting Australia a mountainous 534-run target. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli struck dominant centuries to set up the mammoth total.

Kohli walked out to bat on the third day carrying the weight of four single-digit scores in his last five innings and a 16-month century drought. He last scored a century during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 semi-final against New Zealand.

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However, he displayed a masterclass in strokeplay, marking his return to form with an unbeaten knock of 100 runs off 143 balls, laced with eight boundaries and two sixes.

In response, Australia crumbled to 238 all out in the final session on day four against an inspired attack led by the irrepressible Jasprit Bumrah, who took 3-42 to claim eight wickets in the match.

Bumrah praised Jaiswal and Kohli highly while talking to the media after the victory. He termed Jaiswal’s knock against Australia as the best innings by the young batter.

“[Yashasvi] Jaiswal has had a great start to his Test career. This was his best Test innings probably. He has an attacking nature, but he left the ball well and played long,” Bumrah stated.

The star bowler praised Kohli and asserted he was not out of form, explaining that a batter’s form cannot be judged on challenging batting wickets.

“I didn’t see him [Virat Kohli] out of form at all. On challenging wickets, it’s hard to judge if a batsman is in form. He was looking good in the nets,” he concluded.

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India, under the stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah, defeated Australia by a massive 295-run margin in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth and claimed the top spot in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) standings on Monday.

Australia, while chasing a mountainous 534, crumbled to 238 all out in the final session on day four. A counter-punching Travis Head made a gritty 89 while Mitchell Marsh chipped in with 47.

But it was never going to be enough against an inspired attack led by the irrepressible Bumrah, who took 3-42 to claim eight wickets in the match. He was ably supported by Mohammed Siraj with 3-51.

It was an astonishing turnaround for India, who arrived in Australia on the back of a humiliating 3-0 home series defeat to New Zealand. They needed four victories in the five-match series to earn their place in the WTC final.

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With the victory in the Perth Test, India successfully ascended to the top of the WTC standings, boasting a PCT of 61.11 after winning nine out of their 15 matches in the ongoing cycle.

In contrast, Australia, who had previously held the leading position in the WTC standings, fell to second place following this match, now possessing a PCT of 57.69 after securing eight wins out of 13 matches.

However, the win in Perth did not guarantee India a spot in the WTC final. To ensure their place in the final, the Indian team would need to win three out of the remaining four matches during their Australian tour.

A 5-0 clean sweep or a 4-1 victory in the series would provide them with the coveted ticket to the final. In case they fail to achieve these results, their fate will depend on the outcomes of other teams in the championship.

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PERTH: India ran riot to win the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by a crushing 295 runs here on Monday and leave Australia shellshocked and searching for answers.

Set a mountainous 534 for victory, the world’s top-ranked Test team crumbled to 238 all out in the final session on day four. A counter-punching Travis Head made a gritty 89 while Mitchell Marsh chipped in with 47.

But it was never going to be enough against an inspired attack led by the irrepressible Jasprit Bumrah, who took 3-42 to claim eight wickets in the match. He was ably supported by Mohammed Siraj with 3-51.

It was an astonishing turnaround for India, who arrived in Australia on the back of a humiliating 3-0 home series defeat to New Zealand.

Given little hope of defending the Border-Gavaskar Trophy they have held since 2017, they now head to the second day-night Test in Adelaide next week with a big psychological advantage and boosted by the return of skipper Rohit Sharma.

The victory was only India’s second in Perth and first since their triumph at the WACA Ground back in 2008.

Under Bumrah’s temporary captaincy, they utterly dominated an ageing side which is now the one facing scrutiny after failing to fire.

Out for a dismal 104 in reply to India’s first-innings 150, the hosts’ bowling attack then had no reply to a brilliant 161 from impressive young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and an unbeaten 100 from superstar Virat Kohli, who went past legendary Sir Don Bradman’s tally of Test centuries.

Australia’s batting line-up, which has long relied on one large score or partnership to pull them out of sticky situations, was mostly outsmarted. Their longest partnership through both innings was 82.

With India setting them a huge target, they again capitulated on Monday in the face of the Bumrah-led onslaught.

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After imploding in the final 30 minutes of play on Sunday, they resumed on 12-3 with Usman Khawaja on three and Steve Smith yet to score. Khawaja added just one when he mistimed a pull shot off Siraj and got a big top edge.

It was caught by backtracking wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who became the most expensive player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history on Sunday at the tournament’s lucrative auction.

Head survived a loud lbw shout on seven, a review found it was missing leg stump and he battled on, smacking seven boundaries for his 17th Test half-century.

At the other end, Smith was felled by a Harshit Rana bouncer that slammed into his midriff, needing a spell lying on the ground to recover. He was able to get up and play on, and like Head came through an lbw review on 12.

But their partnership was ended by Siraj, with Pant taking another neat catch after Smith edged a delivery he had to play on 17.

Head teamed up with Marsh in an 82-run stand to temporarily raise hopes before Bumrah again worked his magic.

Seemingly destined for a century, the largely untroubled Head feathered to Pant with Bumrah’s loud double fist pump showing how ecstatic he was at the breakthrough.

Allrounder Marsh kept the scoreboard ticking over with Alex Carey but fell for 47, dragging a wide Nitish Kumar Reddy delivery onto the stumps.

Mitchell Starc, top-scorer in the first innings, was out for 12 on the cusp of tea before the tail was wrapped up early in the final session.

Australia and India will now travel to Adelaide for the second Test, starting from December 6. Meanwhile, the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is scheduled to be played in Brisbane from December 14-18.

The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will host the fourth match from December 26, while the final Test will be played in Sydney from January 3.

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Yashasvi Jaiswal hit a composed unbeaten 90 and KL Rahul a stylish 62 on Saturday as India built an ominous 218-run lead over Australia to take a stranglehold in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth.

A determined and gritty effort by both men against a world-class attack put the visitors in the driving seat as they look to draw first blood in the five-match series.

Jaiswal faced 193 balls while Rahul fended off 153 to steer India to 172 without loss at the close on day two.

India have won their last two Border-Gavaskar trophy series in Australia but came into the Perth Stadium clash after a devastating 3-0 home loss to New Zealand.

After making a miserly 150 on a lively pitch in their first innings, the pressure was again on. But their response proved admirable.

They took a 46-run advantage into the second innings after dismissing the hosts for a meagre 104 at lunch.

Dynamic skipper Jasprit Bumrah blitzed 5-30 and Harshit Rana grabbed 3-48.

“When Bumrah took wickets I was also desperate to do well,” said Rana, who is making his debut. “He sets the tone for us and I delivered.”

Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is just 22 years of age, was playing in his 15th Test. He failed to score in his first knock and began tentatively before a boundary off Mitchell Starc settled him.

Batting alongside the more experienced Rahul, who was playing in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, they were resolute against the new ball on a pitch more placid than the treacherous one that greeted the players on Friday.

Both ran well between the wicket and cracked anything loose to the boundary, playing their shots as their confidence grew.

With the ball not moving nearly as much, Australia were in dire need of some inspiration, but it failed to come as the partnership between India batters flourished.

Left-hander Jaiswal brought up his ninth Test half-century off 123 balls, slapping Nathan Lyon for a single.

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He had a let-off on 52 when attempting a drive off Starc, with the ball flying to Usman Khawaja at second slip, but he failed to take a difficult chance.

The elegant Rahul also had a scare, surviving a run-out on 42.

He regrouped to reach his 16th half-century in his 54th Test, taking one more ball than Jaiswal, and with those landmarks reached they began playing more freely.

After an astonishing 17 wickets fell on a chaotic opening day, Australia resumed on 67-7 and put on 37 thanks to a dogged last-wicket holdout.

They reached three figures courtesy of Starc and Josh Hazlewood, with their 25-run stand the longest of the Australian innings.

Bumrah was India’s chief destroyer with his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests.

Home hopes rested on Alex Carey as he began on 19, but after nudging two from Rana he came up against an irrepressible Bumrah.

Coming round the wicket, the Indian captain made Carey play and he nicked to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

Lyon (5) did well to hang around for 16 fiery balls before gloving a short one from Rana to Rahul in the slips.

That brought Hazlewood to the crease and it seemed only a matter of time before India were batting again.

But he and Starc gamely stuck around, bringing up the 100 to huge cheers from the crowd.

It was an intelligent innings by Starc, who doggedly faced 112 balls and protected Hazlewood to add crucial extra runs before holing out Rana to Pant on 26.

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Cricket Australia (CA) has planned to pay tribute to late top-order batter Phil Hughes on his 10th death anniversary on November 27.

Hughes tragically passed away on November 27, 2014, after being struck in the neck by a bouncer off Sean Abbott during a domestic match at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

In a heartfelt effort to honour Hughes’s memory, Cricket Australia (CA) has organized a series of commemorative activities aimed at paying tribute to his legacy.

These plans include special observances during the Sheffield Shield matches as well as the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test between India and Australia, set to take place in Adelaide.

CA has shared that flags will be flown at half-mast during the upcoming round of Sheffield Shield matches, signalling a collective moment of mourning. Throughout the matches, players will don black armbands.

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Moreover, a minute of silence will be observed on the fourth day of each game, including those involving Hughes’s former teams, South Australia and New South Wales.

During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test, beginning on December 6, Hughes will be honoured in a special way. A documentary chronicling his life and remarkable cricketing journey will be presented, crafted with care in collaboration with Hughes’s family.

The documentary will be screened before the start of the match, providing fans with an intimate glimpse into the life of a player who left an enduring impact on the sport.

“We understand this will be a time of reflection for the many people who knew and admired Phillip Hughes,” Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said.

“We wanted to ensure that the Hughes family, particularly, were comfortable with any commemorations and that we celebrate Phillip’s life and incredible achievements appropriately.”

READ: Jasprit Bumrah puts India back on top in first Australia Test

PERTH: Jasprit Bumrah brought India back in the first Test against Australia after being skittled for 150, taking seven wickets in the final session to put themselves in the box seat on Friday.

At the close of the opening day, the hosts were in disarray on 67-7 after Bumrah demolished the Australian top order in a devastating spell to end the day with 4-17.

Alex Carey (19*) and Mitchell Starc (6*) will resume Australia’s innings on the second day.

After opting to bat the visitors were blown away for 150, no match for the hosts’ lethal pace attack with Josh Hazlewood taking 4-29.

Impressive debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) and flamboyant Rishabh Pant (37) showed some spirit but once again superstar Virat Kohli flopped, out for five.

The 36-year-old has only managed two Test centuries in the last five years, with questions mounting over whether he still warrants selection.

But Australia fared no better in reply as the bowling attack of India wreaked havoc.

Captain Bumrah removed rookie opener Nathan McSweeney lbw for 10, another headache for a team struggling to find a decent replacement for the retired David Warner.

Marnus Labuschagne had a massive letoff two balls later, with Kohli putting down a sitter in the slips, leaving Bumrah with his head in his hands.

But India quickly snared another breakthrough with Kohli this time holding the catch off Bumrah to remove Usman Khawaja (8), and when Steve Smith was trapped lbw next ball, it was game on.

Harshit Rana clean-bowled Travis Head (11) for a maiden Test wicket before Mitchell Marsh departed for five, caught low in the slips by KL Rahul off Mohammed Siraj.

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Labuschagne rode his luck for 52 balls to eke out two runs before he too was on his way, lbw to Siraj, then Bumrah returned to dismiss skipper Pat Cummins (3).

After a crushing 3-0 home series defeat by New Zealand, India sprung a surprise by dropping veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, allrounder Ravindra Jadeja and middle-order batsman Sarfaraz Khan from the first Test against Australia.

Coupled with the absence of opener and regular skipper Rohit Sharma following the birth of a child, and without injured number three Shubman Gill, it left them a fragile batting lineup.

Yashasvi Jaiswal left without scoring in the third over, edging an attempted drive off Starc to McSweeney, who did well to collect low at gully.

With Gill missing, left-hander Devdutt Padikkal came in at three, facing 23 deliveries without scoring before his luck ran out when Hazlewood steamed in and enticed an edge taken by wicketkeeper Carey.

That brought Kohli to the crease, in dire need of a big score.

Despite a stellar record in Australia, he lasted just 12 balls before fending off a climbing Hazlewood thunderbolt that took an edge to Khawaja at slip.

India’s woes worsened when opener Rahul (26) feathered to Carey on the cusp of lunch.

Pant and Dhruv Jurel needed to hang around after the break.

But Jurel, preferred to Sarfaraz, survived barely 10 minutes before succumbing to Marsh on 11, getting an edge that carried to third slip Labuschagne.

Marsh struck again to account for Washington Sundar to leave the visitors staring down the barrel on 73-6 before Pant and Reddy led a mini-recovery.

Cummins finally ended Pant’s exploits, taken sharply at slip by Smith, which signalled India’s demise.

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