Australia's 104 in Perth: An innings for the record books

Australia’s first-innings total of 104 in Perth is their second-lowest in home Tests against India, only behind their infamous 83 all-out in Melbourne in 1981. This also marks their third-lowest home total since 1985 and their fourth-lowest overall against India. The collapse highlights the dominance of the Indian bowling attack on a surface known to favor batters historically.

India secure 46-run lead despite modest batting performance

India’s first-innings score of 150 gave them a significant 46-run lead, the fifth-highest lead in Test history by a team scoring 150 or less while batting first. The record remains England's 71-run lead against Australia in the 1888 Sydney Test after being bowled out for just 113. This marks only the third instance of India claiming a first-innings lead after scoring 150 or less, the other two being Hamilton (2002) and Lord’s (1936).

Australia’s top order falter with lowest contribution in decades

Australia’s top six batters managed just 37 runs in the first innings—their lowest contribution in a home Test since scoring 22 runs against West Indies in Brisbane in 1978. The combined efforts of both teams’ top five batters in the first innings aggregated only 97 runs, the lowest in a Test since the 67 runs by India and West Indies in the 1987 Delhi Test.

Partnerships struggle to survive in low-scoring match

Only two partnerships in the first two innings of the match survived ten or more overs, underlining the challenging conditions. Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy added a crucial 48 runs for India’s seventh wicket, while Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood fought hard for a 26-run stand for Australia’s tenth wicket. A staggering 18 partnerships fell for less than 20 runs, equaling the record for a men’s Test match.

Bumrah shines as captain with record-breaking 5-wicket haul

Jasprit Bumrah’s 5 for 30 in Perth was a historic spell, making him the first Indian captain since Anil Kumble in 2007 to claim a five-wicket haul in Tests. This was Bumrah’s ninth five-for outside Asia, tying him with Kapil Dev for the most by an Indian in such conditions. Notably, this was Bumrah’s second five-wicket haul in Australia, with the others spread across England, South Africa, and West Indies.

See Also: Tilak Varma scripts history with record-breaking 151 in SMAT

Lowest aggregate first-innings total in over 40 years

The combined first-innings total of 254 runs by both teams—India’s 150 and Australia’s 104—is the lowest in a Test match in Australia since the 1981 WACA Test between Australia and Pakistan, which saw a combined score of 242 runs.