AUS vs IND, 5th Test, Day 1: Team India suffers a batting collapse as Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc share 7 wickets. India bowled out for 185, while Australia end the day at 9/1 at stumps.
Brief Score: AUS 9/1 (S Konstas 7*, U Khawaja 2, J Bumrah 1/7) trail IND 185 (R Pant 40, R Jadeja 26, S Boland 4/31) by 176 runs.
Australia reached 9/1 at stumps after bowling out India for 185 on the opening day of the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney. India, who recovered from 57/3 to 107/4 at tea, lost their remaining six wickets for just 78 runs in the final session. Rishabh Pant top-scored with 40 off 98 balls, while Scott Boland was the standout bowler for Australia, claiming 4/31.
Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah replaced Rohit Sharma as India’s captain. The visitors made two changes following their defeat in Melbourne, with Shubman Gill replacing the struggling Rohit and Prasidh Krishna coming in for the injured Akash Deep. Australia made one change, handing Beau Webster his debut as he replaced Mitchell Marsh.
Talking Point: India batters continue to disappoint
Team India find themselves grappling with a recurring dilemma as their batters once again deliver a disappointing performance, failing to cross the 200-run mark. The batting struggles continue to frustrate head coach Gautam Gambhir, as India are dismissed for 185 runs in their first innings. The batting unit have been a collective disappointment throughout the series, managing to score over 300 runs only twice so far.
India experienced a significant batting collapse in the first innings of the Perth Test, where they were bundled out for just 150 runs. This trend persisted in the second Test, with the team being dismissed for 180 and 175 runs in consecutive innings. In the fourth Test, India faced yet another setback, being bowled out for 155 in their second innings. These recurring batting collapses have become a persistent issue on this tour, raising serious concerns for the team management.
Read More: BGT 2024-25: India & Australia's bowling attacks separated by 'gulf of returns with old ball'
Shubman Gill departs at stroke of Lunch, India reach 57/3
India faced a challenging start as they lost openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal early after captain Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and opted to bat in overcast conditions. The duo’s reunion at the top of the order did not last long, with Rahul falling to a rather soft dismissal off Mitchell Starc. Jaiswal was squared up and sent back by Scott Boland shortly after.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli narrowly escaped a first-ball duck after a controversial catch claim was overturned. He, alongside Shubman Gill, appeared set to bat out the first session as India seemed to have mounted a fine fightback. However, Gill, seemingly distracted by his own gamesmanship, fell to Nathan Lyon off the last ball of the session after battling it out for 64 balls.
Pant and Jadeja steer India to 107/4 at Tea
Amid criticism, Rishabh Pant endured several blows to his body throughout the second session and survived, even breaking the shackles slightly towards the end, as he and Ravindra Jadeja made their way to tea. India were 107/4 in 50 overs at the end of the second session, with the partnership between Pant and Jadeja standing at 35 off a staggering 111 balls.
Pant was hit on the bicep and on the head in the same over from Mitchell Starc and later copped a blow to his crotch from Pat Cummins late in the session. Earlier, Virat Kohli battled it out for 69 balls, diligently leaving deliveries outside off throughout the first session. However, he was lured into poking at a delivery early in the second session by Scott Boland, edging it to third slip. This has been a tactic that has consistently worked against him throughout the series.
Scott Boland picks 4 as India manage 185; Australia 9/1 at stumps
Stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah contributed crucial runs down the order to help India reach 185 in their first innings. Rishabh Pant's resistance ended in the third session when he was dismissed for 40 off 98 balls by Scott Boland. This broke a 48-run partnership between Pant and Ravindra Jadeja, which had taken 151 balls. Boland then further rattled India by dismissing Nitish Kumar Reddy for a golden duck on the very next delivery.
Pant’s dismissal triggered a collapse in India’s lower order. Bumrah chipped in with a cameo of 22 runs, while Jadeja managed 26 before falling. Scott Boland was the standout bowler for Australia, claiming four wickets.
Usman Khawaja and Sam Konstas opened the batting for Australia in their first innings. Jasprit Bumrah struck late in the day, dismissing Khawaja off the final delivery. Australia ended Day 1 at 9/1, trailing India by 176 runs.
Statistical highlights from Australia vs India, 5th Test, Day 1
KL Rahul was dismissed by Mitchell Starc for the fifth time in Tests; third time in BGT 2024-25.
Shubman Gill was dismissed by Nathan Lyon for the fourth time in Tests.
Virat Kohli was dismissed by Scott Boland for the fourth time in Tests; third time in BGT 2024-25.
India lost their first four wickets under 100 runs for the 10th time this season.
Pat Cummins (197) now has the most number of wickets in ICC WTC history.
This is India's second-lowest all out team total (185) at the SCG.
Usman Khawaja was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah for the sixth time in Tests.
Jasprit Bumrah now has the joint-most wickets (31) for India in a Test series in Australia. He is level with Bishan Singh Bedi who took 31 wickets in 1977-78.
What’s next
After posting a sub-par first-innings score, India will aim to prevent Australia from building a significant lead. India’s bowling attack will look to dismiss the hosts as quickly as possible. Day 2 promises to bring more drama, with Jasprit Bumrah fired up and eager to make an impact on Australia’s batting lineup once again.
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