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Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc praised India's Jasprit Bumrah for his exceptional bowling performance on the first day of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy's Perth Test. Bumrah's unique bowling action has been instrumental in his success across all formats. Starc acknowledged Bumrah's skill and highlighted the risk associated with imitating such a unique action, as it could lead to injuries.
Mitchell Starc sings Jasprit Bumrah's praise
“Maybe, he's obviously got a fair bit of hyperextension in, that elbow and does, things, a lot of actions, one that you do. So, there's no surprise that he's been a fantastic bowler across the formats for a long time. And again, his skills were on show today as to how, how good he is," Starc said in the press conference after the close of Day 1's game.
"So, yeah, I'm sure there's something in that release point. That’s significant to his action. It's something a lot of people can't do, so I'm not, I'm certainly not going to go and try it. I’ll probably snap,” he further added.
India's stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah, delivered a stellar performance on the first day of the Perth Test, claiming four wickets in a dominant bowling display. Bumrah dismissed key Australian batsmen like Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and debutant Nathan McSweeney, finishing with figures of 4/17 in ten overs. He is currently the second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket in 2024, with 45 wickets at an average of 15.37 and an economy rate of 3.06. Mohammed Siraj contributed to India's bowling success with two wickets, while debutant Harshit Rana claimed the crucial wicket of Travis Head.
India, after winning the toss, opted to bat first. However, they were bundled out for a modest total of 150 runs. Debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy top-scored with 41 runs, while Rishabh Pant contributed a quickfire 37. Despite Pant's efforts, the Indian batting lineup struggled to build substantial partnerships, with the exception of a 48-run stand between Pant and Nitish for the seventh wicket. Josh Hazlewood was the pick of the Australian bowlers, claiming four wickets for 29 runs.
India's top-order batting faltered, with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal being dismissed for ducks. KL Rahul, the other opener, managed to score 26 runs before being controversially given out. Virat Kohli's poor form continued, as he was dismissed for just five runs. Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar also had disappointing innings, scoring 11 and 4 runs, respectively.
After being bowled out for 150, India turned the tables on Australia, restricting them to 67/7 at the end of Day 1. Led by a stellar bowling performance from Jasprit Bumrah, who claimed four wickets, India gained a significant advantage. Mohammed Siraj and debutant Harshit Rana also contributed to the wicket-taking effort, picking up two and one wicket, respectively.
Australia, who are trailing by 83 runs, will need a strong batting performance on Day 2 to avoid a significant deficit. Alex Carey (19*) and Mitchell Starc (6*) are the unbeaten batsmen for Australia.
