Match 1 report: BGT 2024

The first match of the much awaited Border Gavaskar Trophy started on 22nd November, 2024 at Optus Stadium, Burswood. As anticipated, the match was an ultimate clash and it was very thrilling to watch. Both the teams were on their toes, but, it was the Indian Team who played exceptionally well. They dominated in almost all the sessions and that was the key to their success. Jasprit Bumrah was the captain in the first match and he gracefully proved his credentials as a leader. 

On Day 1, India won the toss and chose to bat. The team was cheaply dismissed as they lost all the ten wickets in quick succession. Some resilience was shown by Rishabh Pant and Nitish Reddy as they scored 37(78) and 41(59) respectively. Honestly, that was the only time when Australians were in the game, because, later on, they were just off the game. 

In Australia’s first innings, they were all out of 104, with Mitchell Starc scoring maximum runs, that is, 26 off 112 balls. Jasprit Bumrah was the main scriptwriter of Australian collapse as he took a five wicket haul. Other than him, it was Mohammad Siraj and debutant Harshit Rana who did damage to the batting lineup. 

As the second innings proceeded, India was at a lead of 46 runs. Then came in Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. They both built a strong partnership of 200+ runs and that added woes to Australia’s misery. 

Jaiswal, Rahul, Kohli and Reddy looked good while batting as these four players were the pillars of the Indian line in the second innings. They scored 161(297),  77(176), 100(143) and 38(27) respectively. 

In the second innings, Australians had to chase 533 but Bumrah was magical with the new ball. He and Siraj bowled some fiery spells and ensured a clear victory in the first test. Travis Head tried to create some turbulence but his knock of 89(101) wasn’t sufficient for them to win the match. 

Now, India is at a lead of 1-0 and it’ll be really exciting to see how Australia bounces back in the series. There is a long gap as the second test will begin on 6th December, 2024 and until then both teams have enough time to introspect. Overall , it will be interesting to see who will come back stronger at the Adelaide Oval.