Marnus Labuschagne had a plan—a big one. The Australian star wanted to channel his inner Cheteshwar Pujara, the unflappable wall of Indian cricket who famously thwarted Australia in back-to-back Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Pujara’s marathon innings in 2018-19 and 2020-21 — consuming 1,258 and 928 deliveries respectively — were etched into Australian nightmares. Labuschagne, ever the cricket tragic, wanted to turn the tables.
But Test cricket, as it often does, had other plans. In Perth, under gloomy skies and a spicy deck, Labuschagne decided to unveil his homage to Pujara’s endurance. His pre-series chatter was all about the long game:”It’s going to be important for all of us,” Labuschagne said on Tuesday. “I think the way we play, we’re at our best when we’re playing the long game. We understand that getting them back for their second and third spells, putting them under pressure and letting them come to us and us putting pressure back on them through overs in the field and time in the game, especially over a five-Test series, that’s really important.
AUS vs IND, 1st Test, Day 1: Live Updates and Reactions
“Because as you get into the third, fourth, fifth Test, if they’re trying to play the same team, and those bowlers are rolling into 100, 150, 200 overs by the third Test, it’s going to make a big difference in the series.” Except the grind turned into a groan. Walking in under pressure at 14/1, Labuschagne scratched around for 52 balls, scoring a solitary two runs. His Pujara impression seemed spot-on at first: resolute defense, immense patience, and the kind of intent that looked set to infuriate bowlers. But there was one key difference. While Pujara often let the bowlers wilt, Labuschagne’s resistance only emboldened them.
Mohammed Siraj, who had already wreaked havoc, delivered the killer blow. A full delivery, angling in viciously, had Labuschagne shuffling across his stumps. He missed the flick, his head tilted awkwardly, and the ball thudded into his pad. Dead in front. The review? A desperate, doomed attempt. For all his grit, Marnus looked visibly uncomfortable, surviving an early dropped catch by Virat Kohli and enduring a barrage of unplayable deliveries. His painstaking effort ended with Australia still trailing by 103 runs, and the Pujara dream dissolved into a statistical anomaly: the lowest strike rate (3.84) for an Australian batter who faced 50 balls in a Test innings.
Labuschagne’s innings was a struggle from start to finish. Dropped on zero early in his knock, he never found fluency and was eventually dismissed for 2 off 52 balls. Leading up to the series, Labuschagne had spoken about emulating Cheteshwar Pujara’s ability to wear down bowling attacks with unyielding resilience. However, on a challenging Perth pitch, his attempt to replicate Pujara’s patience resulted in little impact on the scoreboard before he succumbed to Mohammed Siraj’s relentless accuracy.
Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah led the charge with three quick wickets, dismissing Nathan McSweeney (10), Usman Khawaja (8), and Steve Smith for a golden duck. Harshit Rana, on debut, claimed his maiden Test wicket, sending the dangerous Travis Head back to the pavilion for just 1, while Mohammed Siraj trapped Marnus Labuschagne LBW for a painstaking 2 off 52 balls.
India’s first breakthrough owed much to Virat Kohli, who convinced Bumrah to take a successful DRS review against McSweeney. However, Kohli also spilled a straightforward catch at second slip, handing Labuschagne a reprieve early in his innings — though Siraj ensured it wasn’t costly.
Earlier in the day, debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy’s gritty 41 off 59 balls and a 48-run seventh-wicket stand with Rishabh Pant (30) rescued India from a precarious 73/6. The lower-order resistance pushed India to 150 all out, setting the stage for their bowlers to take centre stage.
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