Australia all out for 104, India lead by 46 in Perth Test

Australia was bowled out for 104 in the first innings of the Perth Test on Day 2, giving India a crucial 46-run lead in the opening game of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah, who led the side in Rohit Sharma’s absence, spearheaded the bowling attack with figures of 5/30. Bumrah’s first strike came in the second over of the day, dismissing Alex Carey with a delivery that angled in but moved away after pitching. Carey edged it to Rishabh Pant behind the stumps.

Bumrah’s efforts marked his 11th five-wicket haul in Test cricket and his seventh in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries, equaling Kapil Dev’s record for the most by an Indian in these regions. Harshit Rana, making his Test debut, supported the skipper by dismissing Nathan Lyon with a short-pitched delivery that lobbed off Lyon’s gloves to KL Rahul in the slip cordon. Rana also removed Mitchell Starc later in the session. Starc top-scored for Australia with a gritty 26 off 112 balls, helping his side avoid their lowest-ever total against India (83) and their lowest at home in this century (85 against South Africa in 2016).

Mohammed Siraj contributed to Australia’s collapse with two wickets, removing key middle-order batters and maintaining pressure. The Australian innings highlighted their struggles against India’s pace attack, which exposed their vulnerabilities on a challenging Perth pitch. Despite Starc’s resistance, the hosts failed to build partnerships, with no other batter crossing 20.

India’s first innings ended at 150 on Day 1, with debutant Nitish Reddy scoring 41 and Rishabh Pant adding 37. Australia’s bowling attack, led by Josh Hazlewood (4/29), received support from Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Marsh, all of whom exploited the lively pitch. The game has already seen 17 wickets fall on Day 1 alone, underscoring the difficulty of batting in Perth.