Australian Pacers Torment India in Perth Test Opener

Australia's formidable pace attack, spearheaded by Josh Hazlewood, dismantled the Indian batting lineup, restricting them to a mere 150 runs in the first innings of the Border-Gavaskar Test in Perth. Notable resistance came from Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rishabh Pant but couldn't avoid a collapse.

In a commanding display of fast bowling, the Australian pace attack, led by Josh Hazlewood, restricted India to just 150 runs in the first innings of the initial Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth's Optus Stadium. India concluded the first day of the match on a troubling note, starting their second session at 51/4, with Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel left to salvage the innings.

Jurel started positively post-lunch, hitting an early boundary, but his innings was cut short at 11 by a sharp catch from Marnus Labuschagne off Mitchell Marsh's bowling, leaving India at 59/5. Marsh then dismissed all-rounder Washington Sundar, caught behind by Alex Carey for just four runs, deepening India's troubles at 73/6.

Nitish Kumar Reddy partnered with Pant, handling Nathan Lyon's spin well and adding crucial runs to bring India past the 100-run mark. Their 48-run stand ended when Pant fell to a Steve Smith catch for 37 runs. With India at 121/7, Pat Cummins and Hazlewood continued to dismantle the Indian tail, eventually skittling them out for 150. Nitish contributed a resilient 41 before falling to Cummins.

(With inputs from agencies.)