Australia v India, First Test, Day 1: Australia on the brink in horror first innings collapse as Jasprit Bumrah rips through top order

India was dismissed cheaply on day one in Perth, but are fighting back with the ball as Australia’s first innings limped from one disaster to the next with their lowest home Test total against India at risk.

Perth’s treacherous pitch is only expected to become more difficult for batting after a day on which Australia was left on the brink of its lowest home Test total against India.

Seventeen wickets fell on extraordinary opening day of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series as stand-in Indian skipper Jasprit Bumrah lifted his side onto his shoulders after his batters had earlier flopped in the face of an Australian pace onslaught.

Steve Smith continued an alarming lbw run, embodying a nightmare couple of hours for Australia with the bat.

Having bowled out India for 150 inside 50 overs, the Aussies were 7-67 at stumps, still 16 adrift of a record-low 83 made against India at the MCG in February 1981.

And yet if anything things will get tougher for batters.

India's Virat Kohli gives a hug to paceman Jasprit Bumrah after taking the wicket of Steve Smith. Saeed Khan /AFP

Asked if the pitch would settle down, Aussie quick Mitchell Starc said: “There’s some cracks out there, so I wouldn’t imagine so.”

Variously supplemented by a DRS controversy, contentious low catch, string of missed chances and Indian selection shocks, a much-anticpated series started with a bang.

Not however for all-time greats Smith and Virat Kohli, whose respective failures will do nothing to stem the tide of opinion that their careers are in terminal decline.

Australian captain Pat Cummins had happily reported on match eve that Smith’s hands had made the journey across the Nullabor in what the former skipper had hoped was a sign he would rediscover form in the game’s longest format.

But while he may have found his hands, there are serious concerns that Smith, 35, has lost his eye.

Steve Smith was again caught in an awkward position. Picture: Saeed Khan / AFP

Returning to the No. 4 spot, he fell for a golden duck, removed by a sublime delivery from Bumrah that nipped back and was so plumb that Smith opted not to review.

It marked the first time in his 110-Test career that Smith has fallen leg-before in three consecutive innings, having gone that way twice in his most recent Test against New Zealand in March.

Smith became Bumrah’s third victim after the superstar had sent debutant Nathan McSweeney (10) and veteran Usman Khawaja (eight) on their way.

While Bumrah was majestic, this was not a one-man band. Debutant quick Harshit Rana jagged one back to knock over Travis Head for 11, while Mitch Marsh - a hero earlier in the day with the ball - fell for six after KL Rahul clung on milimetres from the turf after Mohammed Siraj drew an edge, a decision that was sent to the third umpire.

If Smith was under the gun heading this series, then so too was his long-time accomplice Marnus Labuschagne, who having been dropped by Kohli off Bumrah before scoring limped to a painstaking two from 52 balls, eventually put out of his misery lbw by Siraj.

Cummins became Bumrah’s fourth scalp when nicking off for four.

Starc said bowlers still deserved plaudits despite helpful conditions.

“Maybe credit should go to both teams of bowlers,” Starc said.

“Sure there’s plenty in the wicket when you put it in the right area and it was hard work for batting but as I said, you’re allowed to bowl good balls and there was plenty of those today.”

Despite the pre-match optimism of the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, Kohli’s struggles typified his side’s plight with the bat after India won the toss.

Rishabh Pant (37), the hero of India’s Gabba triumph in early 2021, and debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) offered resistance yet neither could seriously punish the Aussies despite being dropped by Cummins and Khawaja respectively.

It was a dismal opening for India, who made the controversial call to leave out veteran spin pair Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, favouring spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar.

Conversely it was a perfect start for McSweeney, who snaffled the chance at gully to remove Indian young gun Yashasvi Jaiswal when edging Starc while trying to drive.

A day after Gavaskar - commentating this series for Channel 7 - told this masthead he believed Kohli’s fitness would allow him to play for another four years - the ageing superstar fell for five after top edging a ripsnorter from Hazlewood.

Having let Pant slip running with the flight of the ball at mid-on off Starc, the Aussie skipper eventually got his man when the gloveman edged to Steve Smith at second slip.

McSweeney was involved in another wicket, even if he won’t be credited in the scorebook. The opener lunged to tap an edge from fellow Rana off Hazelwood with Labuschagne brilliantly trapping the rebound.

Of India’s top four, only Rahul - standing in for absent captain Rohit Sharma - got a start, surviving most of the first session before being sent on his way following a contentious caught behind decision off Starc for 26.

Devdutt Paddikal, batting at No. 3 with Shubman Gill out injured, made a 23-ball duck, nicking one from Hazlewood, while Marsh claimed the wickets of Dhruv Jurel and Sundar in quick succession after entering the attack to begin proceedings after lunch.

Cummins said at the toss that he had been “50-50” on whether to bat first had the coin landed Australia’s way.

Originally published as Australia v India, First Test, Day 1: Australia on the brink in horror first innings collapse as Jasprit Bumrah rips through top order