Superb India thrash Australia to win first Test

Border-Gavaskar Trophy, first Test, day four, Perth

India: 150 (Hazlewood 4-29) & 487-6 dec (Jaiswal 161, Kohli 100*)

Australia: 104 (Bumrah 5-30) & 238 (Head 89, Bumrah 3-42, Siraj 3-51)

India won by 295 runs

Scorecard

India completed a stunning 295-run win over Australia in the first Test in Perth to continue their extraordinary run in the country.

They bowled Australia out for 238 in the final session on day four to take a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series.

It means India have now won five and lost only two of their past nine Tests in Australia dating back to their 2018-19 tour.

West Indies are the only other team to have won a Test in Australia in that time.

Australia resumed on 12-3 after a devastating new-ball spell from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj late on day three - and that soon became 17-4 when the latter had Usman Khawaja caught behind off a top-edged pull.

Steve Smith was then superbly set up by Siraj, caught behind for 17 off one that straightened.

Travis Head (89) and Mitchell Marsh (47) counter-attacked but both fell in quick succession in the afternoon session to Bumrah and Nitish Kumar Reddy respectively.

Off-spinner Washington Sundar had Mitchell Starc caught at short leg and bowled Nathan Lyon, before a superb Nitish Rana slower ball deceived Alex Carey to seal the comprehensive win.

India must win three of the next four Tests to guarantee their place in a third successive World Test Championship final.

Australia need five wins across this series and a two-Test tour of Sri Lanka to reach the final.

The second Test is a day-night game in Adelaide and starts on 6 December.

Serious questions for Australia

This result will leave serious questions around Australia, with the gap between Tests only likely to extend the post mortem.

They were in the ascendancy after bowling India out for 150 within two sessions on the opening day, but fluffed the advantage by being dismissed for 104.

It is a worrying trend for Pat Cummins’ side, with the top order folding on five occasions in seven Tests in the past 12 months.

Australia's top order were blown away by the new ball in Perth

Four of the top six are in particularly worrying form, with Khawaja and Smith having gone 11 Tests without a century, Marsh 10 and Marnus Labuschagne nine.

Nathan McSweeney managed only 10 runs in two innings on Test debut and there are likely to be questions about whether the Queenslander, who has never opened in first-class cricket, was the right option at the top of the order.

Pundits have also questioned whether Australia were aggressive enough with the ball at times in this Test, while their preparation - a white-ball series against Pakistan - has already been put under the microscope.

Australia have won nine of their past 10 Tests in Adelaide, but that defeat was against India.

If they lose again the series and a place in the World Test Championship final look in doubt.

Will brilliant India get even stronger?

India must have been thinking the worst at tea on day one after coming into this series on the back of an historic 3-0 home series defeat by New Zealand.

They rallied brilliantly, though, led by the excellent stand-in skipper Bumrah.

He was superb with the ball but also captained expertly, changing his bowlers effectively and knowing when to attack and when to soak up pressure.

Usual captain Rohit Sharma, who missed this game after the birth of his second child, is expected to return for the second Test. He batted in the nets on Monday.

Shubman Gill may also return at three after a knock to the thumb in the warm-up game, while seamer Mohammed Shami has started his return from a year-long absence and may now play a part in this series.

The tourists, who play a two-day game against a Prime Minister's XI before Adelaide, will have to decide how to balance their squad and whether Rohit breaks up the opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, who shared a brilliant double century stand in the second innings in Perth.

All-rounders Ravichandran Ashwin, who has taken 11 wickets in his past two Tests in Adelaide, and Ravindra Jadeja may also come into the reckoning.

India came into the series with questions, but the ones they have now are far more welcome.

India can 'do something special'

Australia captain Pat Cummins: "It was fairly disappointing. We thought our prep leading in was really good - everyone was firing.

"It was one of those games where not much went right, so there is a fair bit to look at before Adelaide.

"We didn’t really give ourselves a chance in a few different facets. Late on day one if we’d got through that period it would have been a different game, and then bowling in partnerships is another area.

"There is a lot of experience in the top order. They are going about their work really well but they’ve got a bit of work to do. I’m sure there will be lots of conversations and time spent in the nets."

Man of the match and India captain Jasprit Bumrah: "I am very happy. We were put under pressure but the way we responded, I am very proud of the team.

"I played here in 2018 so I remember the wicket can be a little soft here and then get quicker, so I was relying on that experience. We were really well prepared so I just told people to have faith in their process and ability.

"We have the opportunity to do something special."