An India opener feels dudded by DRS, Pat Cummins misses a chance to use it, and Marnus Labuschagne takes a stunning team catch.
Check out the quick hits from day one of the first Test in Perth.
1. McSweeney’s first touch is golden
Nathan McSweeny took a sharp catch at gully for the first wicket of the summer. (Getty Images: Izhar Khan)
It’s a moment every young player will have spent hours dreaming about — walking out for your first Test match, a brand-spanking new baggy green on your head.
How desperate you’d want to make an impression. How desperate you’d be to make an impact.
Nathan McSweeney would have imagined that impact would have been with the bat after his highly scrutinised ascension to the opening position for this Test.
But I doubt he’d mind that his first touch of a ball in Test cricket came off the edge of Yashasvi Jaiswal’s bat, taking a regulation catch at gully to claim the first wicket of the match.
2. Rahul fumes over controversial LBW call
It took barely two hours for us to have our first controversy of the Border-Gavaskar series.
KL Rahul survived a spirited appeal for caught behind off the bowling of a rampant Mitchell Starc, but captain Pat Cummins signalled for a review before the timer even appeared on the screen.
After the first camera angle from behind Rahul was off-frame to the point of being useless, the Aussies rejoiced when a spike appeared on snicko.
Rahul wasn’t going anywhere as the angles were far from conclusive, but third umpire Richard Illingworth eventually ruled that the spike was enough evidence to overturn Richard Kettleborough’s on-field ruling.
Opener Rahul — who was just starting to play some shots after a brutal examination from Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins — was visibly unhappy, shaking his head and gesturing that there was a clear gap between bat and ball.
He definitely hit his pad as he completed the stroke and there seemed to be enough doubt to maintain the on-field ‘not out’ call, but the spike on snicko was enough to end his 74-ball stay on 26 runs.
3. Another poor DRS decision
It’s been eight long months since Australia’s last Test — and in the time off it appears they have not done much work on their DRS calls.
After a shocker early in the innings where a Mitch Starc LBW shout was reviewed despite being very high and wide of the stumps, the Aussies then failed to review when debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy punched the ball down the leg side to Alex Carey — again off the bowling of Starc.
It was Australia’s sole remaining review, which may have impacted the decision-making from Pat Cummins, but also would have opened up the tail just after lunch on day one.
Marnus Labuschagne, as is his wont, said he could hear something but Cummins wasn’t convinced to send it upstairs.
And Starc had a few choice words for Nitish after the over about his “poker face”.
4. Rishabh Pant is back in a big way
Rishabh Pant displayed his usual array of shots before falling for 37. (Getty Images)
The last time India was in Australia for a Test series, Rishabh Pant sparked a depleted touring side to a miraculous series victory at the Gabba.
His audacious batting, especially when staring down the barrel of a loss, made him a fan favourite.
But a car accident in 2022 saw him hospitalised and spend the best part of two years out of the game.
He returned to T20s in June this year and ton on his Test return in September proved he hadn’t lost any of his swagger, which was on full display on day one in Perth.
The stocky wicketkeeper only scored 37 off 78, but the innings included the sort of outlandish shot-making we’ve come to expect from him, including a falling, scooped six over his shoulder off none other than Pat Cummins.
5. Marnus magic
Cricket is a team game, and that was made crystal clear shortly before tea when former Queensland teammates Nathan McSweeney combined for a stunning catch to get rid of debutant Harshit Rana.
It looked like fellow rookie Nathan McSweeney would have to take a worldie at gully to complete the dismissal, but he could only parry it away as he dived with his left hand.
Marnus Labuschagne (right) took a stunning reflex catch after Nathan McSweeney’s (left) deflection. (Getty Images: Robert Cianflone)
Fortunately for Australia, Marnus Labuschagne was awake to it at third slip and snatched a remarkable reflex grab off the ricochet.
It joins the ranks of Chris Tavare’s fumble to Geoff Miller in the 1982 Ashes as one of the great team catches in Test history.
6. Kohli’s shocking drop
Jasprit Bumrah was on fire.
He had successfully challenged an LBW decision to
And then, two balls later, saw Marnus Labuschagne edge behind to second slip where Virat Kohli, claimant of 114 Test match catches in his stellar career, was waiting.
In went the ball to Kohli’s paws. Up went Bumrah. Up went KL Rahul at third slip. Out popped the ball.
Incredibly, inexplicably, Kohli fumbled the ball into his chest and dropped the ball cold.
It was a shocking error that gave Labuschagne, perhaps the luckiest batter in history, an early life.
That, off the back of his disappointing 12-ball 5 with the bat, extended his desperately poor run of form in Test cricket, made for a very bad day for India’s favourite.
