In the ultimate rivalry of India vs. Australia, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy began in Perth with Jasprit Bumrah leading the Indian team against Pat Cummins’ Australia. With several changes from the recent series against New Zealand, two debutants made their way into India’s XI: all-rounder Nitish Reddy and pacer Harshit Rana.
With Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill unavailable for the first match, India was forced to make adjustments to their batting order. KL Rahul opened the innings, and Devdutt Padikkal was included in the top order. Dhruv Jurel was added to the middle order, with both Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana batting in the lower-middle order.
After winning the toss, India chose to bat first, but the decision backfired as Australia’s pace attack dominated, causing significant trouble for the Indian batters. Despite the challenges, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant showed resilience at the top of the order before being dismissed by skipper Pat Cummins. The batting lineup lacked stability, with wickets falling at regular intervals. However, debutant Nitish Reddy impressed with a brilliant knock of 41 off 59 balls, including six boundaries and a six, before being dismissed by Cummins, bringing India’s total to 150. On the other hand, Harshit Rana also showed promise with a boundary but was dismissed cheaply for 7 runs off 5 deliveries by Hazlewood.
Nitish Kumar Reddy has featured in 23 First-Class matches, amassing 779 runs at an average of 21.05, with a highest score of 159 and a strike rate of 54.39. His tally includes 1 century, 2 fifties, 92 boundaries, and 15 sixes. Now a part of the national team, Reddy has shown promise, particularly with a strong performance in his debut innings.
Overall, India’s batting struggled against Australia’s relentless pace attack, folding for 150 in 49.4 overs. Early blows from Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood saw Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal dismissed for ducks. Virat Kohli followed soon after, scoring just 5 runs, leaving India at 32/3. KL Rahul fought hard for 26 but fell to a controversial dismissal, deepening India’s troubles at 47/4. Rishabh Pant fought back with a gritty 37, offering some stability before falling to Cummins. Debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy top-scored with a spirited 41 but ran out of partners as wickets continued to fall. Hazlewood was the pick of the bowlers with 4/29, well-supported by Starc, Cummins, and Marsh, who shared six wickets between them.