Jadeja took five wickets, including crucial wickets of Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, and Peter Handscomb.
The much-anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia finally got underway on Thursday, February 9, at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. The Indian bowlers dominated the first day of the first Test after being asked to bowl first, as the Pat Cummins-led Australian side struggled against either pace or spin.
The day began when Australia won the toss and chose to bat first. While the Australians were assessing the pitch conditions in preparation for facing the Indian spinners, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami dismissed the opposition openers, David Warner and Usman Khawaja.
When the openers walked back to the pavilion, the Australian dugout was stunned, but all eyes were on Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, the batting unit’s backbone. After taking two early blows, the duo easily survived the first session. They returned after lunch and put up an 82-run third-wicket stand before Ravindra Jadeja wrecked the field.
The all-rounder, making his return to international cricket after a five-month absence, was very impressive with the ball. Jadeja struck twice in the final two balls of the 36th over. After dismissing Labuschagne for a 123-ball 49, Jadeja dismissed Matt Renshaw for a golden duck. Jadeja struck again, dismissing Smith and Peter Handscomb just as they were resuming their innings.
The spinners then took control of the game, with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja working together to dismantle the Australian lineup. Handscomb and Alex Carey put on a 53-run sixth-wicket stand, but Ashwin got the crucial breakthrough and became the fastest Indian, and second fastest overall, to reach 450 Test wickets. Later, Jadeja took five wickets as Australia were bowled out for 177 runs in 63.5 overs.
