India vs Australia LIVE Score 1st Test: Plethora of questions for IND to answer as Border-Gavaskar Trophy kicks off

India vs Australia LIVE Score 1st Test: Both sides are being led by fast bowlers with Pat Cummins captaining for the 28th time in Test cricket and Jasprit Bumrah taking the reins just the second time.

However, plenty of water has flown under the bridge. Rahul Dravid is done with his time as India coach and replaced by Gautam Gambhir, who’s had a bit of a tumultuous start to his tenure. To face Australia when he’s in a bit of a firing line is never ideal, but a glass half empty is also half full. Gambhir would want to view the five-Test series against Australia, the first of which begins today at Perth’s Optus Stadium.

Perth, a venue that has historically proven to be a nightmare for batters with its famous bounce and pace, has also claimed India as one of its victims. 1992, 2012, and 2018 will reopen old wounds. But if India have endured their share of disappointments in Perth, they have some wonderful memories to look back upon from the 2008 tour, when after going down in Sydney in one of the most scandalous and controversial Test matches of all time, Anil Kumble and Irfan Pathan spun and swung India to a memorable win.

But this is not 2008. India are a far more competitive team than the one that tamed the mighty Aussies at the menacing Perth. It’s only due to their recent 0-3 whitewash to New Zealand at home that the world has turned against them. Like the last time, Aussies are not giving the Indians a chance. They have declared Australia the outright winners, with some bold and audacious 3-1, 4-1 predictions. But if there’s one thing the opposition should know about India, it is that they are at their most dangerous when cornered.

So what if captain Rohit Sharma is not around? Vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will be eager to outperform his counterpart Pat Cummins in this rare showdown of fast-bowling captains. Bumrah has captained India in just one Test match previously – the the result wasn’t one fans would want to remember – but India’s pace spearhead has a sharp mind, and he’s gone on record to say that he can take care of his body better when he’s leading. But despite all the credentials that Bumrah possesses, he will feel the pressure… and then some.

Bumrah isn’t the only one facing the heat. The one and only once-indestructible Virat Kohli finds himself in the middle of no man’s land. Runs are hard to come by, and his recent dismissals are ringing major alarm bells. At 36, is Kohli on the downhill? Not a single cricketer will tell you that, and rightly so. It’s no secret that Kohli is no longer the force he once was, but still, rule him out at your own peril. He is everywhere in Australian media – from billboards to newspapers to TV screens – such is the hype around him. From first coming Down Under as a brash, arrogant 24-year-old to cementing himself as a legend, Kohli’s rise has been instrumental. But currently stuck in a batting low, there is no better place than Australia to rekindle the hunger that made him a run monster in the first place.

Plenty has been made of India’s team combination for the Perth Test. Well, since it’s Perth, four pacers should be a no-brainer. Bumrah and Shami are sure-shots, but the names of Harshit Rana all-rounder Nitish Reddy have cropped up for the other two quicks. Akash Deep hasn’t done badly either, so that number could also go up to five. Between Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, only one will play. As for the batting, KL Rahul is set to open, and that Devdutt Padikkal has been added to the squad, could only mean he would bat at No. 3.

From the Australian camp, if there’s one cricketer who’s made as much news, if not more, than David Warner, it’s Nathan McSweeney. Touted as one of the next big things in Australian cricket, he and Usman Khawaja would be responsible for seeing off the new ball. Australia’s failed experiment with Steve Smith will see him return to No. 4, where he’s tormented India the most. Despite the presence of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Cummins, it’ Nathan Lyon who could very well turn out to be the decisive factor in the match. Australia last won a Test series against India back in 2014/15 and Cummins, who hasn’t put a foot wrong, would like add the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to his already impressive list of achievements.

Here are some key points from the India vs Australia 1st Test:

– India have not lost a Test series to Australia in almost 10 years.

– The Perth Test will mark a very rare occurrence when both team captains are fast bowlers, with Jasprit Bumrah stepping in for Rohit Sharma to lead India.

– Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy are likely to make their debuts for India.

– Virat Kohli has scored over 1300 runs from 13 Tests in Australia, including six centuries.

– Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel will play their maiden Test in Australia.

– India have played 4 Test matches at Perth since 1992, losing three and winning one.