Former Indian head coach Rahul Dravid heaped praise on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for his eight wickets during the win at the Perth Test against Australia, saying that he took the game by the scruff of the neck and “cracked it open” with his five-wicket haul. Bumrah’s five wicket haul in the first innings gave India a 46-run lead while centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli helped India swell the lead to an extent that Aussies could never stage a comeback. India won the first Test by 295 runs at Perth, ending Australia’s perfect record at the venue. Bumrah was given the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his spell and made his return to the top of the ICC Men’s Test Rankings bowling charts.
Speaking on Star Sports, Dravid said, “If you talk about someone take a game by the scruff of the neck and absolutely cracking it open, that was exactly what Bumrah did with that spell in that first evening, and then even in the second innings he picked up a lot of crucial wickets as well.”
“Being captain, leading from the front, taking the game and saying, ‘Give it to me and I will show you what I can do and how I can turn it around.’ Brilliant from Bumrah and he has just shown it so much in all formats of the game. The number of times he does it for us is absolutely incredible and hats off to him,” Dravid added.
In the match, India won the toss and opted to bat first. However, they were dismissed for just 150 runs, with Nitish Kumar Reddy (41 off 59 balls, six fours and a six) and Rishabh Pant (37 off 78 balls, three fours and a six) playing crucial knocks and adding a vital 48-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Josh Hazlewood (4/29) was the standout bowler for Australia, with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, and Mitchell Starc claiming two wickets each. Australia’s reply was even worse, as they were reduced to 79/9 before Mitchell Starc (26) and Alex Carey (21) took the total to 104, giving India a slender lead of 46 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah starred for India with figures of 5/30 in 18 overs, while debutant Harshit Rana impressed with 3/48.
In their second innings, India amassed a massive lead. KL Rahul (77 off 176 balls, five fours) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (161 off 297 balls, 15 fours and three sixes) put up a 201-run opening partnership. Despite losing quick wickets, an unbeaten 100 by Virat Kohli (143 balls, eight fours and two sixes), supported by Washington Sundar (29 off 94 balls, one six) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (38* off 27 balls, three fours and two sixes), propelled India to 487/6 declared, setting Australia a daunting target of 534 runs.
Nathan Lyon (2/96) was the best bowler for Australia, with Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood taking one wicket each.
At stumps on Day 3, Australia were 12/3, with Bumrah taking two wickets and Mohammed Siraj one. On Day 4, despite valiant efforts from Travis Head (89 off 101 balls, eight fours) and Mitchell Marsh (47 off 67 balls, three fours and two sixes), Australia were bowled out for 238, giving India a resounding 295-run victory.
Bumrah (3/42) and Siraj (3/51) led the bowling in the second innings, while Washington Sundar took two wickets, and Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana picked one each.
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