India roared back to the top of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) standings with a commanding 295-run victory over Australia in the first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Perth on Monday. The win, India’s biggest in Australia by a margin of runs, marked a resounding start to the five-match Test series and reaffirmed their status as a dominant force in Test cricket.
With this win, India surged to the summit of the WTC table with a point percentage of 61.11%, having secured nine wins in 15 matches. The victory displaced Australia, whose point percentage dropped to 57.69% after eight wins in 13 matches. Prior to this game, India had held the second spot with a percentage of 58.33%.
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The standings shift came after Australia’s stronghold at the top, which was bolstered by India’s 3-0 home series defeat to New Zealand. The Perth loss marked a significant setback for the Baggy Greens, who had been riding high with eight wins in 11 matches before this series opener.
In a game where India was without key players including Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin, stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah delivered a match-winning performance. His bold decision to bat first on a tricky Perth pitch set the tone, even as India was bundled out for just 150 in the first innings.
Bumrah’s five-wicket haul in Australia’s first innings was instrumental in restricting the hosts to 104, ably supported by Mohammed Siraj and debutant Harshit Rana. The bowlers exploited the pace-friendly conditions to perfection, leaving Australia on the back foot.
India’s second innings was a batting masterclass. Yashasvi Jaiswal stole the spotlight with a marathon 161, anchoring the innings with partnerships alongside KL Rahul (77) and Devdutt Padikkal. Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 100 added the finishing touches to India’s mammoth 534-run total.
The final day saw India’s bowlers rise to the occasion once again. Bumrah and Siraj were relentless, dismantling Australia’s top-order, while Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana contributed crucial breakthroughs. Rana’s dismissal of Alex Carey for 36 brought the curtains down on Australia’s resistance, sealing the historic victory.
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