India crush Australia in 1st Test, take 1-0 lead: Stats
India hammered Australia in the first Test to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. Batting first, the hosts racked up 400 with skipper Rohit Sharma (120) leading from the front. For Australia, debutant off-spinner Todd Murphy claimed a seven-wicket haul. Indian spinners then ran down the Aussie line-up to claim a win by an innings and 132 runs. Here are the stats.
How did the first Test pan out?
Opting to bat, Australia folded on 177/10. Marnus Labuschagne (49) fared decently, with Steve Smith, Alex Carey, and Peter Handscomb scoring 30s each. For India, spinner Ravindra Jadeja took a stunning fifer (5/47). The hosts then clobbered 400 and took a 223-run lead. Rohit top scored while Axar Patel and Jadeja played vital knocks. Ashwin-Jadeja then annihilated Australia to snatch an easy win.
A sublime ton by Rohit!
Rohit, who last scored a Test hundred in 2021, ended the long-standing wait with a clutch ton in Nagpur. He clocked his ninth Test hundred, striking a four off an inside-out attempt to reach the landmark. He slammed a 212-ball 120 (4s: 15, 6s: 2) before Pat Cummins cleaned his stumps. Rohit has now raced to 3,257 Test runs at 47.20.
Captains with centuries in all formats
Rohit became the fourth batter to slam tons across all formats as a skipper. He joins Pakistan's Babar Azam, Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan, and South Africa's Faf du Plessis in the elite list. Notably, Rohit owns three ODI tons and two T20I centuries as captain.
Jadeja aces his Test return
Jadeja, who last played a Test match in July 2022, returned with a bang. The all-rounder took a fifer (5/47) in the first innings. It was his 11th fifer in Tests. followed by a crunch 70(185) with the willow. It was his 18th half-century in Test cricket. He now has 2,593 Test runs at 37.04. Meanwhile, he has raced to 249 wickets at 24.34.
Axar and Shami frustrate the visitors
Axar Patel slammed a career-best 84 off 174 deliveries (4s: 10, 6s: 1). The southpaw registered his second half-century in Test cricket. He also inked an 88-run stand with Jadeja for the eighth wicket. He now has 333 runs at 27.75. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami scored a pivotal 47-ball 37 (4s: 2, 6s: 3). He added 52 runs with Axar as India extended the lead.
A dream Test debut for Murphy
Murphy trumped KL Rahul in the dying stages of Day 1. The right-arm off-spinner concluded with mouth-watering figures worth 7/124 in the first innings. He bagged his maiden fifer on his Test debut. Notably, he dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara (7) and Virat Kohli (12) cheaply in his maiden innings. Also, those are the third-best figures by an Australian cricketer on debut innings.
Ashwin reaps rewards in Nagpur
Veteran off-spinner Ashwin bagged figures worth 3/42 in the first innings. He also chimed in a handy 23 runs. Later, Ashwin snatched his 31st Test five-wicket haul. He now has 457 wickets in 89 Tests. Ashwin now has the second-most wickets in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, surpassing Harbhajan Singh (95). Only Anil Kumble (111) has taken more wickets.
Forgettable show for Aussie openers
Australian openers couldn't offer anything substantial. Both David Warner (1 and 10) and Usman Khawaja (1 and 5) were out cheaply. Warner and Khawaja were dismissed by Shami and Mohammed Siraj in the first innings, respectively, while Ashwin got them out in the second innings.
Ashwin dismisses Warner once again
Ashwin dismissed Warner in the second innings. He now owns 11 dismissals against Warner in Tests. Only England's Ben Stokes has fallen prey to the offie as many times in Tests. The veteran batter has accumulated just 192 runs in this battle at a paltry average of 17.45. Ashwin has dismissed Warner six times in India and five times Down Under.
