India’s defence of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy got off to a shaky start, as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal were both dismissed for ducks on the morning of the first day at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
After Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and chose to bat first, Jaiswal was dismissed by Mitchell Starc caught at gully, before Josh Hazlewood ended Padikkal’s struggle at the crease with a simple catch through to wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
India found themselves in a spot of bother early, with runs difficult to come by in tricky conditions and against some excellent bowling in Perth. While Jaiswal was caught trying to play a boming drive, Padikkal faced 23 deliveries and looked out of sorts before feathering one through.
With Indian fans already on edge regarding the series following a disappointing series against New Zealand at home, social media reactions were negative in response to the poor start by the Indian batters.
Slow start for India’s top order
India took 16 overs to find their first boundary off the bat, with tight lines and dangerous bowling from Australia’s seam trio meaning the Indian top order found it difficult to capitalise by applying pressure back on the Australian bowling.
Jaiswal came into more criticism for his continued struggle to get going in overseas conditions in Test cricket, going for an expansive drive early in his innings and facing more questions regarding whether his aggressive approach as an opener suits difficult pitches.
Meanwhile, with Padikkal drafted as a late replacement for Shubman Gill at number three, the southpaw didn’t do himself any favours as he failed to have an impact on the scoresheet. Although he managed to survive for a while, he was unable to get off the mark or rotate strike to settle India’s nerves after the early setback.
Things went from bad to worse as Virat Kohli was also dismissed cheaply, gone for just 5 runs after Hazlewood found a sharp bounce from a good length.
Matters got even worse later in the innings as KL Rahul, who had played himself in and looked to be the batter who would be the backbone of the innings, was dismissed in controversial circumstances. India found themselves four wickets down at lunch, going into the first session break at 51-4.
