The first day of the fourth and final Test of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, being played at the Gabba, Brisbane, between Australia and India ended up on equal footing as the visitors managed to keep the hosts under control, despite a highly inexperienced bowling attack.
The start of the day saw India handing Test debuts to left-arm pacer T Natarajan and off-spinner Washington Sundar. Sundar’s inclusion was a tactical move to shorten the tail, as he was picked over Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI.
This was India’s most inexperienced bowling attack since their second-ever Test in 1933, with Siraj (2 Tests), Shardul Thakur (1 Test), Navdeep Saini (1 Test), T Natarajan (Debut), and Washington Sundar (Debut).
Indian bowlers managed to remove Australian openers soon as Mohammed Siraj accounted for David Warner for 1, with Rohit Sharma taking a brilliant catch in slips. Shardul Thakur had Marcus Harris caught on the leg side for 5 by Washington Sundar.
However, Marnus Labuschagne added 70 runs with Steve Smith (36), before Smith became the first Test victim of Washington Sundar. Then Matthew Wade (45) dug in with Labuschagne to add 113 runs for the 4th wicket.
But then another debutant T Natarajan got into the act as he dismissed Wade first, for his first Test wicket and then in his next over, got rid of Labuschagne as well. Marnus fell for 108 in 204 balls with 9 fours to his name.
Cameron Green (28*) and skipper Tim Paine (38*) kept the Indian bowlers at bay, adding 61* runs at the end of day one.
India suffered another casualty in the bowling department, as Navdeep Saini left the field after bowling 7.5 overs due to a groin muscle pull and was taken for scans.
T Natarajan (2/63) was the pick of the bowlers, while Siraj, Shardul, and Washington Sundar were the other wicket-takers.
BRIEF SCORES:
Day 1- AUS 274/5 (M LABUSCHAGNE 108, M WADE 46; T NATARAJAN 2/63)
