Subhayan Chakraborty at the Optus Stadium
India became the first team to defeat Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth, securing a dominating 295-run victory inside four days to take a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series. This win was India’s second-largest by runs outside of Asia, and their biggest against Australia.This victory for India is special by all means. They played without their regular captain, Rohit Sharma, after the birth of his second child, and also missed Shubman Gill due to a thumb injury.
Moreover, they did not have senior pacer Mohammed Shami in their squad and handed out debut caps to Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana. Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, and Washington Sundar were also all relative newcomers to the longest format of the game.
Despite these odds and coming off a 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand at home, the Indian team rallied together. Senior players took charge, and Jasprit Bumrah, the stand-in captain, led by example, registering figures of 30-7-72-8 – the best match figures by a visiting fast-bowling captain in Australia – to significantly alter the game’s course in both innings.
“I thought he bowled really well,” said Pat Cummins, Australia’s captain at the press conference. “He’s one of the best in the world. He’s always going to be a challenge, so we got to come up with ways to combat that.
I thought particularly that Day 1, his spell, the spell from the Indian guys, made it tricky for our team to navigate through. He bowled well through the game, like he does most games.”It was notable to see the senior team members, particularly Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, guiding the younger players throughout the Test. While Bumrah wreaked havoc with the ball, Kohli managed the field from the slip cordon, communicating effectively with the bowlers. His presence on the field went beyond just energising the crowd or celebrating wickets in his characteristic aggressive style; his leadership was palpable.
For instance, when Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were building a frustrating partnership on Day 3, Kohli advised Harshit Rana to set a field for a bouncer, then outfox Starc with a fuller delivery, which immediately resulted in his dismissal. Kohli was also seen trying to disrupt Australian partnerships with his chatter, embodying the spirit of a leader even though Bumrah was formally in charge.“I have said this before, Virat Kohli doesn’t need us, we need him,” said Bumrah.
“He is an experienced player. This is his fourth or fifth tour. So he knows his cricket better than anyone else. He looked in good shape, he was mentally switched on. Sometimes when you have such a long career, you bat in tough conditions and he has batted in tough scenarios for a long time, but it’s difficult to do that all the time in every match.
“But he looked to be in a good space and obviously, he got a good delivery in the first innings. He was still in a great space and he capitalised in the second innings. We needed an experienced batter then. He also played well, and helped his partners play well as well. So obviously, when he gets confidence at the start of the series, you can’t ask for more than that.”
Rahul’s experience shone through, especially during his second innings partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal, as they wore down the Australian attack and took the game away from the hosts on Day 3. Although Rahul fell short of a well-deserved century, his contribution was crucial. He ensured Jaiswal kept his composure against tight spells from the Australian bowlers, guiding him during his stay at the crease.Even Ravichandran Ashwin, who was replaced in the playing XI by Sundar, was quick to offer advice to the young all-rounder during the critical partnership between Starc and Hazlewood. As Bumrah collected a stump after India’s win, he walked to Kohli, shoulder to shoulder, as the duo flashed wide smiles. In all, it felt like the Indian team had come together.
With so much scrutiny in the media and on social media, it is easy for any team to get scattered after such a humiliating home series whitewash, but credit to the senior members of the team and the coaching staff led by head coach Gautam Gambhir for fostering this unity.This historic win in Perth has set a positive tone for India as they aim for a hat-trick of series victories on Australian soil, and possibly a spot in the World Test Championship final. Although the road ahead is long, if India can maintain this cohesion, they can dream big.