Australia’s pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has heaped praise on India’s young batting sensation, Yashasvi Jaiswal, calling him a “huge” talent in Indian cricket after the 22-year-old’s remarkable performance during the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
Jaiswal, who has been in exceptional form, played a pivotal role in India’s commanding position in the match. He scored a brilliant 161 off 297 balls in the second innings, which included 15 fours and three sixes. His knock helped India set a daunting target for Australia, contributing to a substantial 487/6 declared.
Jaiswal’s consistency has been impressive throughout his early career, with this innings marking his fourth score of over 150 in just 15 Tests. In doing so, he joined cricketing greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Pakistan’s Javed Miandad, and South Africa’s Graeme Smith for the second-most 150-plus scores in Tests before the age of 23. Australian legend Don Bradman holds the record with eight such scores. Jaiswal has now scored 1,568 runs at an average of 58.07, including four centuries and eight half-centuries, making a strong case for his future as a mainstay in Indian cricket.
In addition to his run-scoring feats, Jaiswal surpassed Vijay Hazare’s record for the most runs by an Indian in their first 15 Tests, cementing his place as one of India’s most exciting young prospects. His highest score remains an unbeaten 214.
Speaking to Star Sports, Starc expressed his admiration for Jaiswal’s skills and composure. “He’s not in his first game, so there’s obviously been a bit of hype around him, and he’s certainly very skilful. I think we saw that over the second innings this week. He’s a huge talent in India, and he’s going to play a lot of cricket for them. It was nice to get him cheaply in the first innings, but he certainly made amends in the second,” Starc said.
India Dominates Day 3 and 4; Bumrah Leads the Bowling Charge
In the first innings of the Test, India won the toss and elected to bat but was dismissed for a modest 150. Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) and Rishabh Pant (37) fought back with a vital 48-run partnership for the sixth wicket, but Australia’s bowlers, led by Josh Hazlewood (4/29), reduced India to a low total. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, and Starc also claimed two wickets each.
Australia’s response was underwhelming, as they collapsed to 79/9 before a defiant 26-run knock from Starc and a 21-run effort from Alex Carey lifted them to 104. India took a 46-run first-innings lead, with Jasprit Bumrah (5/30) and debutant Harshit Rana (3/48) doing the damage.
In India’s second innings, Jaiswal and KL Rahul (77) shared an opening stand of 201 runs, which laid the foundation for a big total. Virat Kohli’s composed 100* and useful contributions from Washington Sundar (29) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (38*) helped India reach 487/6 before declaring. Australia’s bowlers, led by Nathan Lyon (2/96), could not prevent the onslaught, as Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood each claimed a wicket.
Chasing a formidable target of 534, Australia was quickly in trouble on Day 3, with Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj making early breakthroughs. By stumps, Australia was reeling at 12/3, with Bumrah picking up two wickets and Siraj one.
On Day 4, despite a spirited fightback from Travis Head (89) and Mitchell Marsh (47), Australia’s resistance crumbled. They were bowled out for 238, handing India a commanding 295-run victory. Bumrah (3/42) and Siraj (3/51) led India’s bowling charge in the second innings, with Washington Sundar also contributing with two wickets. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana each claimed a wicket as well.
Bumrah was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his outstanding eight-wicket haul in the match, while Jaiswal’s stellar batting continued to capture the attention of cricketing pundits and fans alike.
With this dominant win, India took a 1-0 lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with both teams set to clash again in the next Test.