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India's stand-in skipper for the opening Test of the series against Australia, Jasprit Bumrah, delivered triple blows to the hosts after his team could only put a total of 150 runs on the board. Bumrah's fist victim came in the form of Nathan McSweeney who was dismissed LBW for 10 runs. However, the initial call from the on-field umpire was of not-out. Bumrah was interested in going for DRS but had his doubts. This is when Virat Kohli helped him with his views.
The stump mic caught the chatter between the players, with Bumrah saying, "Close hai. (It's close)." Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant, however, wasn't as convinced. But, Kohli's advice seems to have convinced Bumrah to go ahead.
"Pad pe lagi hai pehle, lele lele. (It has hit the pad first, take it take it)," Kohli told Bumrah.
"" they said & @Jaspritbumrah93 gets the debutant Nathan McSweeney!
What a delivery to get the breakthrough!
#AUSvINDOnStar 1st Test, Day 1, LIVE NOW! #AUSvIND #ToughestRivalry pic.twitter.com/axdidpP8GS
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 22, 2024
The entire Indian team rejoiced as three reds popped up on the giant screen when the decision was reviewed.
Debutant Nitish Reddy's gutsy 41 and Rishabh Pant's brief daredevilry proved to be fleeting silver lining in an otherwise batting no-show by India as they were shot out for a lowly 150 at tea. Captain Jasprit Bumrah's decision to opt for batting on a bouncy green top can be debated in times to come.
Pant (37 off 78 balls), whose audacious no-look six over backward square leg off Pat Cummins, had everyone in awe, found a gritty customer in Reddy as they added 48 runs for the seventh wicket after the India's top-order were done in by double whammy of extra bounce and seam movement by Mitchell Starc (2/14 in 11 overs) and Josh Hazlewood (4/29 in 13 overs).
While KL Rahul (26 off 74 balls) was ready to grind it out before getting a contentious caught behind decision, young guns like Yashasvi Jaiswal (0) and Devdutt Padikkal (0) looked completely out of place during a brilliant opening spell bowled in tandem by Starc and Hazlewood. Virat Kohli (5) looked a pale shadow of the player, who visited these shores in 2011-12, 2014-15 and 2018-19 as he was done in by a short ball from Hazlewood.