India ended the first session reeling at 51/4 with Australian pacers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins in charge. They then lost two more wickets to Mitchell Marsh early in the second session. Pant and Reddy then not only held their ground but also managed to set a few boundaries that would give India a semblance of momentum, but that didn’t last long.

KL Rahul earlier kept India going for much of the first session as he saw the wickets fall at the other end. However, his innings came to an end towards the end of the first session in rather controversial circumstances. The last man to go down before Rahul for the visitors was Virat Kohli, who slipped to the top spot after scoring just five runs for Rishabh Pant. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal earlier fell for ducks to Mitchell Starc. Padikkal fell for a 23-ball duck, while Jaiswal fell to Starc on the first ball of the second over of the day for the pacer. Rahul opened the batting with Jaiswal and he was joined by Padikkal after the latter fell. Padikkal came in for the injured Shubman Gill at number 3.

India’s stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah earlier won the toss and opted to bat first. The visitors have left out Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and opted to go with Washington Sundar as their lone spinner, while handing their debuts to pacer Harshit Rana and fast bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. Ashwin presented Rana with his maiden cap, while Virat Kohli did the same for Reddy.

Even before 2024 started, the five-Test series between India and Australia had become the biggest talking point in Indian cricket. This is despite the T20 World Cup being a major highlight of the year. Perhaps it was the long-lasting euphoria of India’s one-off win in Australia, or that India couldn’t wait to get back to the Aussies after giving them two major heartbreaks in 2023. Who can forget November 19? Oh well, we just completed one year of the date.

However, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. Rahul Dravid has finished his time as India coach and will be replaced by Gautam Gambhir, who has had a somewhat tumultuous start to his tenure. It’s never ideal facing Australia when he’s in the line of fire, but a glass half empty is also half full. Gambhir is said to be looking to watch the five-Test series against Australia, the first of which starts today at Optus Stadium in Perth.

Perth, a venue that has historically proven to be a nightmare for batsmen with its famous bounce and pace, has also claimed India as one of the victims. 1992, 2012 and 2018 will open old wounds. But even though India have had to endure their share of disappointment in Perth, they still have some wonderful memories to look back on from the 2008 tour when Anil Kumble and Irfan, after being in Sydney in one of the most scandalous and controversial test matches of all time, Pathan twisted and swung India to a memorable victory.

But this isn’t 2008. India are a much more competitive team than the one that tamed the mighty Aussies in a menacing Perth. It is only because of their recent 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand on home soil that the world has turned against them. Just like last time, the Aussies don’t give the Indians a chance. They declared Australia the outright winner, with some bold and audacious 3-1, 4-1 predictions. But if there’s one thing the opposition needs to know about India, it’s that they are most dangerous when cornered.

So what if captain Rohit Sharma is not there? Vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will be keen to outperform his counterpart Pat Cummins in this rare clash between fast-bowling captains. Bumrah has previously captained India in just one Test match – the result wasn’t something fans would want to remember – but India’s pace spearhead has a sharp mind and he is known to say he can take better care of his body when he leads . But despite all the credentials Bumrah possesses, he will feel the pressure… and then some.

Bumrah isn’t the only one dealing with the heat. The one indestructible Virat Kohli is in the middle of no man’s land. Runs are hard to come by, and his recent layoffs are raising major alarm bells. Is Kohli downhill at 36? No cricketer will tell you that, and rightly so. It’s no secret that Kohli is no longer the force he once was, but rule him out at your peril. He is all over the Australian media – from billboards to newspapers and TV screens – such is the hype surrounding him. Kohli’s rise has been instrumental, from first arriving Down Under as a brash, arrogant 24-year-old to establishing himself as a legend. But right now he’s on the back burner and there’s no better place than Australia to rekindle the hunger that made him a running monster in the first place.

A lot of attention has been paid to the Indian team combination for the Perth Test. This being Perth, four pacers should be a no-brainer. Bumrah and Shami are real hits, but Harshit Rana all-rounder Nitish Reddy’s names have cropped up for the other two pacers. Akash Deep hasn’t done too bad either, so that number could also go up to five. Only one will play between Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. As for the batting, KL Rahul is set to open, and Devdutt Padikkal’s addition to the squad could only mean he would bat at number 3.

If any cricketer from the Australian camp has made as much, if not more, news than David Warner, it is Nathan McSweeney. Touted as one of the next big things in Australian cricket, he and Usman Khawaja would be responsible for seeing the new ball. Australia’s failed experiment with Steve Smith will see him return to No. 4, where he has tormented India the most. Despite the presence of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Cummins, it is Nathan Lyon who could be the deciding factor in the match. Australia last won a Test series against India in 2014-15 and Cummins, who has not put a step wrong, would be keen to add the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to his already impressive list of achievements.

Here are some key points from the first Test between India and Australia:

– India were all out at 150

– Nitish Kumar Reddy was the last Indian wicket to fall when he scored 41 runs off 59 balls on debut

– Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy gave India some momentum with a 48-run stand for the seventh wicket

– India lost Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar to Mitchell Marsh early in the second session

– India were 51/4 in 25 overs at lunch

– KL Rahul’s long vigil ended in controversial circumstances as he fell to Starc after scoring 26 runs in 72 balls

– Virat Kohli fell to Josh Hazlewood after scoring five runs

– Jaiswal fell for a duck off eight balls while Padikkal couldn’t score after 23 balls

– Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal fell for Mitchell Starc

– Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and India opted to bat first

– India have not lost a Test series to Australia in almost 10 years.

– The Perth Test is a very rare event where both team captains are fast bowlers, with Jasprit Bumrah replacing Rohit Sharma to lead India.

– Virat Kohli has scored more than 1300 runs in 13 Tests in Australia, including six centuries

– India have played four Test matches in Perth since 1992, losing three and winning one.