Jasprit Bumrah leads India's redemption on Day 1 in the Perth Test

"I'm only believe in Jassi Bhai," the phrase uttered by an ecstatic Mohammed Siraj when India clinched the T20 World Cup Trophy, has been engraved in the memory of every Indian fan by now. The phrase, headlining memes and internet trends, engulfed the scene once again as Jasprit Bumrah stunned the Australian batting lineup at Perth in the BGT opener. The excitement for the Border Gavaskar Trophy turned sour for Indian fans as the team staged a disappointing outing with the bat. Virat Kohli continued his dry run with the bat, while the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal fumbled against the lethal Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. While Rishabh Pant and debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy made a positive impact, India was bundled out for a meager 150 by the Aussies, who claimed a strong start to their BGT campaign at home.

Jasprit Bumrah shoots back at Australia with a fiery four-wicket spell on the opening day of the Perth Test

The Perth track, which favored the Kangaroos in the opening innings, aided interim Indian skipper Jasprit Bumrah as well. The ace seamer made inroads in the match as he scalped debutant Nathan McSweeney in the third over of the second innings. McSweeney called for a review but to no avail, as Bumrah's precision turned all three criteria red to claim the opener leg before wicket. Moments after McSweeney's departure, India celebrated the wicket of Labuschagne. However, KL Rahul at gully and Bumrah were late to realize that Virat Kohli at second slip had dropped the sitter. Despite the setback, Bumrah didn’t relent in his bid to maintain the pressure. While Labuschagne held the crease, the batter was unable to keep the runs coming as the Indian pace duo of Bumrah and Siraj rarely faltered with their line and lengths.

The pressure bore fruit as Usman Khawaja fell to Bumrah in the seventh over, edging to Kohli at slip. Australia's woes deepened when Steve Smith departed for a golden duck. Spitting fire on the Perth track, Bumrah trapped Smith plumb in an LBW, showing the Aussies a mirror. As India gained a favorable position in the Test, Bumrah handed the red ball to debutant Harshit Rana. The lanky pacer passed his first test with flying colors as he troubled Labuschagne with lethal body blows. Rana earned his maiden Test scalp when Travis Head, on the other end, attempted to tackle the youngster. Rana bowled from around the wicket to shatter the stumps, as Head departed for 11 off 13.

Mohammed Siraj then joined the party, dismissing Mitchell Marsh and Labuschagne in quick succession. Marsh edged a back-of-length ball that straightened sharply to KL Rahul, who took a superb low catch at third slip. Labuschagne, after a painstaking 2 off 52 balls, was finally relieved of his struggle when Siraj claimed him LBW. As the session neared its end, Bumrah struck again, dismissing Pat Cummins caught behind for his fourth wicket. At stumps on Day 1, Australia reeled at 67 for the loss of 7 wickets in reply to India's 150.