Pacers feast on Perth starters

Perth: If the Indian batting had to do well against a highly-acclaimed Australian pace attack, Virat Kohli had to summon his vintage form. He couldn't, and India were bowled out for a paltry 150. If the Indian bowling had to do well, Jasprit Bumrah had to deliver. He did, and India managed to gain a lot of the lost ground after leaving Australia reeling at 67 for seven at stumps on Friday.  

On a dramatic opening day, when a whopping 17 wickets fell here at the Optus Stadium, India, opting to bat first, flunked the Aussie pace test and were packed off in fewer than 50 overs with Josh Hazlewood (4/29), Mitchell Starc (2/14), Pat Cummins (2/67) and Mitchell Marsh (2/12) running roughshod over them.

Little did the hosts know that the Indian pacers, admirably led by skipper Bumrah, would give them the taste of their own medicine. While Bumrah (4/17) was at his menacing best on a helpful deck, Mohammed Siraj (2/17) came into his own after a long time.

Debutant Harshit Rana (1/33) gave a decent account of himself albeit his lack of experience was apparent as the Delhi pacer gave away some easy runs which always has a potential to prove costly in a low-scoring game. The slow outfield significantly contributing to low totals.  

While neither team can claim to have a decisive edge, India would have walked out a lot more satisfied after having found themselves in choppy waters half way through the day's play. Australia now trail India by 83 runs with Alex Carey (19) and Mitchell Starc (6) at the crease, hoping to slash the lead further if not overhaul.

On their part, India -- who ignored both senior spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja (between whom there are nearly 850 Test scalps) to accommodate Washington Sundar -- would look to gain as big a cushion as possible.             

While the pitch had something in it for the fast bowlers, it wasn't nearly as spicy as one expected it to be. An obdurate KL Rahul (26 off 73) and the enterprising duo of Rishabh Pant (37 off 78) and debutant Nitish Reddy (41 off 59) showed there were runs to be made if the batters used their smarts. 

Likewise, if bowlers maintained discipline and hit the right spots, there were rewards to be reaped at any stage of the game. None exemplified this more than Hazlewood who was easily the pick of the home bowlers. While the right-arm quick rarely fluffs his lines, his impeccable lengths made India batters' lives hard. Kohli's dismissal typified Hazlewood's class with the right-hander, standing a yard outside the crease, being unable to leave the ball alone as the steep bounce caught him by surprise.    

While there were runs to be made, one could never feel really "in" on the pitch with variable bounce keeping the batters on their toes. Even those who spent decent time in the middle from either side, couldn't build on their starts. Perhaps, a judicious mix of caution and aggression was the way forward as shown by Rahul, Pant and Nitish.

Devdutt Padikkal (0, 29b) paid the price for being too diffident as did Marnus Labuschagne, who fell for a 52-ball 2.

The key to building a decent total on this surface was negotiating the new ball. Indians couldn't. Australia had a golden chance to bat India out of the game but Bumrah and Co ensured the tourists finished the day with an upper hand.

For the first time since its inception in 1996, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy saw the two stalwarts, after the whom the series has been named, carry it to the ground for a short ceremony prior to the toss. The presence of Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border at the series opener provided a nice touch to the proceedings.