India five wickets away from big win in 1st test against Australia

India’s Nitish Kumar Reddy, right, throws the ball at the stumps but catches Australia’s Alex Carey on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth on November 25, 2024. (AP)

• Australia struggle at 104-5 at lunch on Day 4 in chase of mammoth 534-run target 
• India have won only nine Test matches out of a total of 53 on Australian soil 

PERTH: Fast bowler Mohamed Siraj bowled India to the brink of victory in the opening Border-Gavaskar series cricket test with Australia struggling at 104-5 at lunch on the fourth day.
Siraj removed opener Usman Khawaja with his fourth ball Monday and then accounted for star batter Steve Smith to end a frustrating 62-run fifth wicket stand.
Siraj switched ends with fellow fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and forced Smith (17) to edge a low catch behind to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
Siraj took 3-34 while Bumrah, the chief destroyer of Australia in the first innings with 5-30, had 2-26 at the break.
Travis Head was 63 not out and Mitchell Marsh unbeaten on five with the pair to resume after lunch as Australia faces the bleak task of surviving a minimum of 165 overs over five sessions to prevent India from taking a 1-0 series lead.
India is close to winning only its second test match against Australia in Perth in six outings following the 72-run win at the WACA ground in January 2008. It will also be the tourists’ 10th win in 53 tests on Australian soil.
India’s commanding position was set up by majestic centuries from opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (161) and a masterful 100 not out by Virat Kohli as India closed its second innings at 487-6 declared.
This was after an outstanding spell of fast bowling by Bumrah which dismissed Australia for 104 in reply to India’s 150 all out on an eventful first day which saw 17 wickets fall.
Set an impossible 534 runs to win the test on a Perth Stadium surface that is increasingly deteriorating, Australia crashed to 12-3 on the third evening.
The start of day four did not go well for the hosts as Siraj forced Khawaja (4) to top edge for Pant to complete a running catch to reduce Australia to 17-4.
But Smith and Head survived some anxious moments against India’s pace quartet and Head counterattacked his way to a 63-ball half century with six fours. He has faced 72 balls and hit seven fours so far.
Smith, the most experienced batter in the side, put behind his first ball nought in the first innings to play a watchful innings, but was eventually undone by a superb Siraj delivery.