Bumrah Bags Six-Wicket Opening Spell as India Rattle Australia in Perth

Perth, Australia - Indian captain Jasprit Bumrah delivered an exhilarating opening spell that rattled the Australians on day one of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener at Perth Stadium.

The hosts were seemingly in control after rolling India for 150 in the first innings, with their quicks wreaking havoc on the lively deck in front of a record crowd of 31,302. However, Bumrah flipped the script by decimating Australia’s top-order with a magical spell that accounted for three wickets - including debutant Nathan McSweeney, veteran Usman Khawaja, and superstar Steve Smith.

McSweeney was trapped on the pads for 10 after Bumrah beat his inside edge, while Khawaja and Smith were dismissed in consecutive deliveries, caught in the slips cordon and plumb LBW respectively. Marnus Labuschagne also fell to Mohammed Siraj after a tedious knock of 2 (52).

Later, debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy was fortunate to survive after the Australians neglected to review a caught-behind chance, and India's wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant went on to become more adventurous with his strokeplay as the tea break approached.

However, Pant departed late in the afternoon session after a leading edge against Mitchell Cummins was snaffled by Smith. India ultimately capitulated for 212 runs before being bowled out.

The first Australian innings ended at 235, setting Australia on a challenging task to chase down India's total. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey (19) and Mitchell Starc (6) were unbeaten overnight as the Aussies headed into stumps on day one still trailing by 27 runs.

Bumrah finished with figures of 4-17 in ten overs, while fellow seamer Mohammed Siraj took 7 wickets for 17 runs from nine overs. The Indian quicks and spinners looked relentless, with 17 wickets falling in chaotic conditions at Perth Stadium.

The first Test between Australia and India resumes on Saturday at 1.20pm AEDT, setting up an intriguing second day of the series.