Tag: australia

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.

READ: How can India qualify for WTC final after crushing Australia in Perth Test?

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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Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli etched his name in the history books on Sunday with his 30th century in Test cricket, going past legendary Sir Don Bradman, during the first match of the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia.

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.

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.

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His innings propelled India to a commanding position before skipper Jasprit Bumrah declared with a staggering 533-run lead.

Virat Kohli with his 30th Test century surpassed legendary Australian Sir Don Bradman, who had 29 Test hundreds to his name.

The Indian star has now joined Matthew Hayden and Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the elite group of players with 30 Test centuries. Only 14 players have scored more Test tons, with Kohli trailing active players Steve Smith and Kane Williamson in the tally.

Most Centuries in Test Cricket

• Sachin Tendulkar — 51
• Jacques Kallis — 45
• Ricky Ponting — 41
• Kumar Sangakkara — 38
• Rahul Dravid — 36
• Joe Root — 35
• Younis Khan, Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene — 34
• Alastair Cook (ENG) — 33
• Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, Steve Waugh — 32
• Virat Kohli, Matthew Hayden, Shivnarine Chanderpaul — 30

It’s worth noting that this was Kohli’s seventh Test hundred in Australia, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most centuries in Australia by an Indian batter.

Overall Kohli has scored 10 centuries in Australia across all formats, which is a record by any visiting batter. Previously, the record was held by Jack Hobbs, who scored nine centuries in Australia.

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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.

READ: Sarfaraz Ahmed joins ICC Champions Trophy tour in Karachi

Stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah insisted Thursday that India were carrying no baggage from their Test whitewash by New Zealand and warned Australia that star batsman Virat Kohli was looking “ominous”.

India head into the first of five Tests against Australia on Friday in Perth on the back of their first home series loss in 12 years.

But speedster Bumrah, who will captain the side after Rohit Sharma stayed home following the birth of his second child, said they were only looking forward.

“The beauty about cricket is even if you win, you start from zero, and even if you lose you start from zero,” he told reporters. “So that’s how I look at the game.”

“Obviously, yes, we were disappointed and we were down that we had a tough series [against New Zealand].

“But we are not carrying any baggages. We come with a fresh mindset, different opposition and you learn from the changes that have happened in our team.”

With Rohit out, KL Rahul or Abhimanyu Easwaran are in line to open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, while there are doubts over number three Shubman Gill who has hurt his thumb.

Their bowling line-up is also unclear. Bumrah said India had settled on who would partner him in the attack, but he would wait until the toss to reveal all.

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Kohli is certain to play but will stand up under increasing scrutiny after managing only two Test centuries in the last five years and averaging just 15 against New Zealand.

Despite signs that one of the world’s greatest batsmen may be past his best at 36, Bumrah cautioned that Kohli should never be written off.

Kohli holds a stellar record in Australia, having scored 1352 runs across 13 Tests at an average of 54.08 with six centuries and four half-centuries.

“He is one of the greats of the game,” said Jasprit Bumrah. “He’s the utmost professional that we have in our team. He’s got a lot of success.”

“Okay, one or two series here and there can go up and down, but the confidence that he has at this moment, I have no doubts.

“He’s looking to contribute. And the way I’ve seen him at training … the signs are ominous.”

With Bumrah taking the armband, the first Test will have two fast bowlers captaining their teams, with Pat Cummins in charge of Australia.

“I love the responsibility. I wanted to do the tough job since I was a child,” he said. “I’ve never followed a copybook plan… I’ve never followed a model and I go with my instincts and that’s how I’ve always played my cricket. I have a lot of faith in my instincts and gut.”

READ: ‘They look like mummies’: Salman Butt takes a dig at Pakistan players’ fitness

SYDNEY: Australia have won the toss and elected to bat first in the second T20I of the three-match series against Pakistan at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) here on Saturday.

Australia opted to go with an unchanged side, that defeated Pakistan in the rain-effect first T20I in Brisbane. Meanwhile, Pakistan have replaced Haseebullah Khan with left-arm wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem.

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Playing XIs

Australia: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Short, Josh Inglis (c)(wk), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Hardie, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson

Pakistan: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Salman Agha, Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah

READ: ‘The King is back in his territory’: Ravi Shastri warns critics of Virat Kohli

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has issued a stern warning to those doubters of Virat Kohli, emphasizing that the star batter could make a resounding comeback in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

Kohli has been under fire lately due to his below-par form, having scored a solitary half-century and averaging only 21.33 in five Test matches.

During India’s first-ever clean sweep at home in a three-match Test series against New Zealand, Kohli managed only 93 runs from six innings at an average of 15.50.

However, Shastri, who served as the head coach during Kohli’s tenure as captain, has shown his faith in the star batter.

“Well, the King is back in his territory. That’s all I will tell them,” Shastri stated in The ICC Review while responding to a question about Kohli’s critics.

The former all-rounder emphasized that Virat Kohli earned the title of ‘King’ due to his dominant batting performances in Australia, and he is likely to replicate his previous successes in the upcoming series.

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“When you’ve earned that title after your exploits in Australia, it will be on your [opponent’s] mind when you go out to bat.”

For the unversed, Kohli led India to their first-ever series victory in Australia during the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He holds a stellar record in Australia, having scored 1352 runs across 13 Tests at an average of 54.08 with six centuries and four half-centuries.

Ravi Shastri advised Virat Kohli to remain calm and play naturally, avoiding reckless dismissals like in the New Zealand series.

“Your juices are flowing, you’re charged up. It’s again a case with Virat. You want to see calmness because at times you are overeager to get out there and throw the first punch,” Shastri said.

“But I think that calmness in the first half an hour where he gets out to bat or in the first three innings of the series will be extremely important. If he can be calm and play the game at his own pace rather than being in a hurry, I think he’ll be fine.”

It’s worth noting that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will start from November 22 in Perth. The second match will be played in Adelaide from December 6, followed by the third Test in Brisbane, scheduled 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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