India beat Australia by 295 runs with one day to spare. The result box usually never looks like this when India visits Perth, where the ball is expected to zip past batters with pace and bounce. Yet, that’s what India conjured up in the first Test match of the series at a venue the hosts have managed to turn into a graveyard for teams great and small. But India were different.
The manner of victory should encourage the team management, too. India were bowled out for 150 in the first innings. Things looked ridiculously hopeless until Jasprit Bumrah stepped in, playing only his second Test as captain.
Each ball Bumrah delivers is fast, furious and laced with venom more often than not, batters struggle to find an antidote. At the Optus Stadium, where Australians had not lost a match until Monday, the visitors suddenly got the initiative back through some great seam bowling the same weapon the Aussies pride themselves with.
The batters joined the party in the second innings. The most heartening sight was Yashasvi Jaiswal raising the bat after completing a dominating century. And what better time could there be for Virat Kohli to hit form again? K L Rahul was also among runs under pressure. The stroke-players made merry on a changing wicket and sent the Aussies on a leather hunt.
It is something similar to what happened in India when New Zealand whitewashed the home team in the last series. Spin-friendly wickets turned deadly for the hosts. In Australia, Bumrah was unplayable on a wicket that aided fast bowling and brought the team back, skittling out the hosts for just 104 runs in the first innings. With the win, India have dislodged Australia at the top of the World Test Championships table. That’s how fine the margin at the top is.
Emotions usually run high every time India travels Down Under. The last series was when Indians beat the Aussies at home. That gave them belief. This victory has also blooded this young side with conviction. We could not have asked for a better start to the battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India must savour the victory, but not lose the momentum in the next four Tests.