Australia bowl India out for 150 at tea on day one of first Test
India were bowled out for 150 on day one of the first Test against Australia in Perth on Friday.
Debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy top-scored for the tourists with 41 as the home side’s experienced fast bowling attack dominated, led by Josh Hazlewood who took 4-29.
Australian skipper Pat Cummins, pacer Mitchell Starc and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh took two wickets each.
The Aussies removed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal for ducks in a stunning morning session to leave India reeling on 51 for four at lunch.
The tourists, who won the toss, omitted spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in favour of Washington Sundar, with the new-look side also missing regular skipper Rohit Sharma, who recently welcomed his second child, and an injured Shubman Gill.
Pace spearhead Starc needed just eight balls to give his side a dream start to the five-Test series, sending 22-year-old Jaiswal on his way after a mistimed drive squirted to debutant Nathan McSweeney at gully.
Padikkal endured 23 balls on a probing length before nicking paceman Josh Hazlewood to keeper Alex Carey, bringing Virat Kohli to the crease and, with him, the loudest cheers of the morning.
It took an hour for KL Rahul (26) to hit his first boundary, accidentally edging a short Pat Cummins delivery while trying to leave, as Australia strangled the tourists for space in conditions conducive to seamers.
In the 17th over Hazlewood earned the wicket of veteran Kohli (five), who has not scored a century in 16 months, with a gem which reared up and flew off the edge to first slip.
The carnage continued when Starc picked up his second wicket on review, a disgruntled Rahul forced to depart after the third umpire judged that the ball was edged to Carey before the bat brushed the pad.
Dhruv Jurel departed next after he was caught on a Marsh delivery by Marnus Labuschagne on 11. Marsh dismissed Washington Sunder next who was caught behind by Alex Carey for four.
Cummins, after setting up the Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, dismissed him to bring out the Indian tail to bat against a fired-up Aussie attack with the visitors on 121 for the loss of seven wickets.
Reddy put up a valiant effort of 41 with the bat, however, the Aussie pacers managed to dismiss the Indian lower order with ease.
Australia: Nathan McSweeney, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (capt), Mohammed Siraj
Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG), Chris Gaffaney (NZL)
TV umpire: Richard Illingworth (ENG)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)