Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Starc and Hazlewood Dominate as India Crumbles for 150 in Perth

Australia gained total control on Day 1 of the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood opting for a killish bowling display, as India was dismissed for only 150 runs at the Perth Stadium. Australian pacers, making the most of the pace and bounce available to them to perfection, provided their team with an upper hand very early in the match.

Starc led the attack with four pivotal wickets, and Hazlewood’s accuracy was rewarded with three wickets, including the valuable scalp of Virat Kohli. The two destroyed India’s batting order without giving any elbow space for the visitors to build a strong total.

India Fails with the Bat
Indian innings were missing partnerships, as top and middle order surrendered to Australia’s counter-attacking pace. The only warrior on the Indian side was skipper Virat Kohli, scoring a gritty 45 runs before being caught off Hazlewood. Lower-order cameos of Mohammed Shami and Ravichandran Ashwin contributed 30 runs but could not make India reach a fighting score.

Australia Off to a Strong Start
In reply, Australia’s opening batsmen got through the remaining overs of the day without taking any risks, finishing at 25/0. Having all 10 wickets in hand and with the good batting pitch, Australia is well placed for accumulating a crucial lead on Day 2.

What to Expect Now?
If the Indian bowlers don’t improve significantly from this, it would be extremely hard for them to fight their way back into the match. But Australia will seek to capitalize on their advantage and make their hold on this Border-Gavaskar Trophy match more secure.
Stay tuned for the updates and live action from Perth on Day 2 of this exciting match!