Images from Day 3 of the first Test between Australia and India in Perth on Sunday.
'I hadn't thought before that a fast bowler would be discussed so much in India but that is happening today and I feel happy and proud about that'.
'How is Jaspreet Bumrah even allowed to bowl with that action?' one Aussie asked on social media. 'He is clearly chucking.'
Rahul played a scintillating knock of 77, with some eye-catching drives and peak Test match batting, before getting out to Mitchell Starc in the first session on Day 3.
From a bowler's paradise on Day 1 to a batting haven on Day 2, the Perth pitch has defied expectations.
'His capacity for hard work, relentless application and focus, allied to his God-given gifts, has made him a champion every Indian can be proud of.'
Prem Panicker returns to his home ground -- Rediff.com -- for the Border Gavaskar Trophy series.
Here's Prem Panicker's unique take on all the action from the opening day of the 2024-2025 Border Gavaskar series.
Here's Prem Panicker's unique take on all the action from the second day of the 2024-2025 Border Gavaskar series.
Yashasvi Jaiswal's intense and innovative pre-tour training against short-pitched balls at the Thane Stadium contributed to his unbeaten 90 in Perth
The home team bowlers did not put a foot wrong but the pitch "surprisingly" dried up quite quickly at the Optus stadium on the second day, eventually helping the Indian batters, reckons Australia head coach Andrew McDonald.
Rana didn't disappoint Gambhir either as the young pacer grabbed three wickets, supporting skipper Jasprit Bumrah to bundle out Australia for 104 in their first innings.
Jaiswal and Rahul ended the day unbeaten on 90 and 62, as the hosts failed to take a wicket in two sessions, a dizzying change of pace from day one when 17 wickets tumbled.
In a fiery contest, Jaiswal had his moment of cheeky brilliance against Mitchell Starc, a legendary fast bowler with over 330 Test wickets to his name.
Images from Day 2 of the first Test between Australia and India in Perth on Saturday.
The bids on Rishabh Pant could well soar like his audacious no-look six in the ongoing Perth Test, as he seems poised to become the highest paid player among the 577 who will go under the hammer at the two-day IPL mega auction, starting in Jeddah on Sunday.
Harshit Rana's meteoric rise may have come as a surprise to many, but not N S Negi, his coach in his formative years, who has seen the strapping youngster mature into a pacer with the "potential to become a multi-format bowler for India".
Anushka Sharma was seen cheering for her husband, during the first Test match against Australia in Perth on Saturday.
Even with the pressure of planning the Rajasthan Royals' IPL auction strategy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, former Team India head coach Rahul Dravid couldn't resist keeping an eye on the enthralling opening of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth.
The camaraderie between Indian pacer Harshit Rana and Australian speedster Mitchell Starc, former Kolkata Knight Riders teammates, stood out on Day 2.
The dawn of a new era had begun under Sourav Ganguly's aggressive leadership. With Ganguly and Coach John Wright at the helm India had transitioned into a force to be reckoned with.
After several losses in the early years of the new century, a resurgent India notched up two consecutive series wins in Australia to become the Aussies' nemesis.
'I think there was a fair bit of good bowling today. Obviously there was enough in the wicket and it probably felt like it was a hardball wicket.'
During his gutsy knock on Friday, he became the third highest run getter for India in the World Test Championships with 2032 runs in 52 innings.
Bumrah now has 36 wickets on Australian soil, and the batter he's dismissed most times is his opposite number Pat Cummins (6).
'When Nathan Lyon was bowling I saw two or three balls without any drift. So, I thought of taking on Lyon so that we get some quick runs.'
From former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth to commentator Harsha Bhogle to the aam Indian, Bumrah was hailed for his top-class showing.
The Perth Test marks Bumrah's second stint as a stand-in captain, having also led his country against England in 2022, and he could not have been dealt a tougher hand.
Marnus Labuschagne arrived at the crease in Perth with a plan: channel his inner Cheteshwar Pujara.
India fight back against Australia as 17 wickets tumble on opening day
Images from Day 1 of the first Test between Australia and India in Perth, on Friday.
Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and spinner Nathan Lyon made history on Friday as they became the first bowling quartet in Test history to take 500 Test wickets while playing together.
The opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Perth marked a big moment for two young Indian talents, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made their Test debuts.
'Jaiswal is too talented to be written off after one bad innings. He'll bounce back. The real test is how he handles the second innings.'
The Prime Minister's XI team will be led by uncapped all-rounder Jack Edwards of New South Wales.
India included two debutants -- Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy -- while leaving out Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar is confident that the stylish K L Rahul can excel on Australian tracks, just like he did in South Africa last year.
On previous tours Down Under, India have twice played opening Tests in November. India lost both those Tests, both at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Any of these match ups could influence the outcome of the Perth Test.
Ravi Shastri guided India to back-to-back series wins in Australia and his short advice to current head coach Gautam Gambhir is to "stay calm" over the course of five Tests Down Under and avoid knee-jerk reactions.
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