India and Australia kicked off the first of four Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test matches in Nagpur on Thursday, February 9. India have started their match on a very bright note, as the Australian batters were helpless in front of the Indian spinners, being bundled for 177 runs in 63.5 overs.
Leading the charge for the bowlers is Ravindra Jadeja, who returned to international cricket after almost five months. The veteran took five wickets in the first innings, with Ravichandran Ashwin bagging three more and Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj taking a wicket each.
Jadeja injured his knee during the Asia Cup in September 2022 and has been out of action for a while now, missing the T20 World Cup and the consequent bilateral series. Having recovered from his injury in time to play for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy, Jadeja was drafted back into the Playing XI and has proven his mettle immediately.
Day 1 wrapped up with India in charge with the bat as well, with openers Rohit Sharma finishing the day with an unbeaten 56 runs in 69 balls. KL Rahul (20 off 71) was the only batter to lose his wicket, after being caught and bowled by Australian debutant Todd Murphy.
Australia openers fail
Usual suspects David Warner and Usman Khawaja opened the batting but were too much for master pacers Shami and Siraj. After losing two wickets for two runs, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschange kept up the tempo till lunch, following which Jadeja took control of the proceedings.
Jadeja wreaks havoc after lunch
His first wicket was that of Marnus Labuschange who was stumped by debutant KS Bharat. He was Australia's highest run-getter with 49 runs in 123 balls. In the very next ball, Jadeja got the wicket of Matt Renshaw for a golden duck.
Smith soon followed after being clean bowled for 37 runs off 107 balls, and then Peter Handscomb (31 off 84) was sent back to the pavilion. The 34-year-old completed his five-wicket haul after dismissing debutant Todd Murphy once again for a duck. and made a strong comeback. He conceded just 47 runs in 22 overs.
History for Ashwin
While Jadeja will be proud of his performance after a long-term injury, Ashwin created his own piece of history after taking the wicket of Alex Carey, which was also his 450th Test wicket for India. He is just the second Indian bowler to do so after Anil Kumble, and also the fastest to achieve this feat, having done so in just 89 Tests. Kumble himself took 91 Tests to take 450 wickets.
Indian openers in control
Skipper Rohit Sharma kept his cool along and went on to score a 66-ball fifty, his first since July 2021. With R Ashwin (0 off 5) sent as the night watchman, India currently trail by 100 runs, with all the pressure on the visitors heading into Day 2.
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