New Delhi: India stormed to a crushing 295-run victory over Australia in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth Monday, with several records shattered along the way.
Despite the absence of regular captain Rohit Sharma and middle-order batsman Shubman Gill, stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah led from the front, taking eight wickets across both innings to seal a memorable win.
India’s historic 295-run win at the Optus Stadium in Perth was their biggest victory in terms of runs in a Test match in Australia. It surpassed their previous record of a 222-run victory in Melbourne in 1977.
It was also the second-largest win margin by runs in Test cricket history for a team that was bowled out for 150 or less in their first innings. The West Indies held the record for the biggest such win. They defeated Australia by 343 runs in the 1991 Bridgetown Test despite being dismissed for 149 in their first innings.
Bumrah heaped praise on Yashasvi Jaiswal, whose magnificent 161 in the second innings was instrumental in India’s victory.
“If I had to choose a Man of the Match, I would choose Jaiswal,” Bumrah said. “I think this was his best Test knock so far. He has an attacking nature, but in that second innings, he left certain balls, he took his time and batted deep. That gives us a lot of confidence.”
Jaiswal entered the record books with his 161 in the Perth Test, the first in the five-match series. He became only the third Indian batsman to score a century in his first Test match in Australia, joining an elite group comprising Sunil Gavaskar (1977) and Motganhalli Jaisimha (1968).
Jaiswal’s outstanding performance also broke Gautam Gambhir’s record for most runs scored by an Indian left-hander in a calendar year. With 1,156 runs to his name so far this year, Jaiswal surpassed Gambhir’s tally of 1,134 runs in 2008.
Jaiswal took to Instagram to celebrate another milestone. Posing with fellow opener K.L. Rahul, he said: “We’re part of history, KL Bhai… We have 200 reasons to smile.”
The post came after the duo shared a record-breaking 201-run partnership for the first wicket, the highest opening stand for India in Tests in Australia. This achievement eclipsed the previous record held by Kris Srikkanth and Sunil Gavaskar, who had put on 191 runs in Sydney in 1986.
Rahul played a crucial role in the partnership, scoring a dogged 26 off 74 balls in the first innings and a more fluent 77 off 176 balls in the second.
Kohli in vintage form
Virat Kohli rediscovered his vintage form, scoring an unbeaten 100 in the second innings of the match. This century marked his 81st in international cricket.
Kohli’s impressive feat also helped him surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s record. With seven Test centuries against Australia in Australia, Kohli now holds the record for the most Test centuries by an Indian batsman in Australia. Furthermore, across all formats, Kohli has set a new record with 10 centuries as a visiting batsman in Australia.
Jasprit Bumrah’s performance of 8/72 is one of the best by a visiting captain in Australia, with only Bishan Singh Bedi’s 10/194 in the 1977 Perth Test surpassing his achievement.
Bumrah joins an elite group of visiting captains, including England’s Gubby Allen and India’s Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev, who have claimed at least eight wickets in a Test in Australia.
His match returns in the Perth Test against Australia were the fourth-best bowling performance by an Indian captain in Tests, behind Kapil Dev and Bishan Singh Bedi.
He claimed 5/30 and 3/42 in the two innings, taking his overall Test wicket tally to 181 in 41 matches. His current bowling average of 20.06 is the third-best among bowlers with over 150 Test wickets, and he now has 11 five-wicket hauls in the format.
India made history by becoming the first team to defeat Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Before this, Australia was unbeaten at the venue, having secured victories against India, New Zealand, West Indies and Pakistan in the four matches played there.
India’s victory was all the more remarkable given their modest first-innings total of 150.
In fact, this is only the third time India has won a Test match with a lower first-innings total. The two previous instances were against Australia in 2004, when India were bowled out for 104, and against England in 2021, when they scored 145.
The 295-run defeat is Australia’s second-largest at home in the last 40 years, with their biggest loss in this period being a 309-run drubbing against South Africa at the WACA in 2012.
This loss is also Australia’s second-biggest defeat by runs against India in Test cricket, surpassed only by the 320-run loss in the 2008 Mohali Test.
As the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 heats up, India is poised to make key changes to their line-up for the second Test at the Adelaide Oval on December 6.
With the return of skipper Rohit Sharma and opener Shubman Gill, the team is expected to keep their foot on the pedal and maintain the momentum.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also Read: Border Gavaskar Trophy: India fight back against Australia as 17 wickets tumble on opening day