With a hat-trick of series wins in mind, India will kickstart the Australia tour on Friday in Perth, where it won’t be an easy job for them with pace and bounce on offer. India won 2-1 against Australia on both of their last two Test tours, but this time, they have arrived Down Under in a vulnerable position after losing Test series to New Zealand. Playing at Perth, the first Test on the tour will only make things more difficult for India as they are also likely to miss the services of skipper Rohit Sharma in the opener.
India and Australia will lock horns at Optus Stadium, Perth, a venue where they have played just one Test in the past, but the conditions there are quite similar to the WACA, where they have been practising for the past few days. The Indian batters need to be wary of the pace and bounce at Perth, which has often troubled the visiting teams.
India have played four Test matches at WACA, Perth and only managed to win once on the 2008 tour when Irfan Pathan was named Player of the Match for his all-round show. He claimed five wickets and scored 74 runs across two innings.
Australia vs India in 1977 – AUS won by 2 wickets
Australia vs India in 1992 – AUS won by 300 runs
Australia vs India in 2008 – IND won by 72 runs
Australia vs India in 2012- AUS won by innings & 37 runs
Meanwhile, in the past few years, Cricket Australia has shifted their bases in Perth from WACA to Optus Stadium as India played their lone match there on the 2018 tour. Tim Paine and Co. emerged victorious there despite an incredible century by Virat Kohli.
Australia vs India in 2018- AUS won by 146 runs
Former India captain Virat Kohli is at the top of the tally for India with 259 runs in 2 Tests; one Test each, at the WACA and Optus Stadium. Meanwhile, batting great Sachin Tendulkar is right behind him with 226 runs in the three Tests he played at the WACA which included a century.
Legendary Sunil Gavaskar topped the list of highest scores by an Indian in Perth with a 127-run knock in the 1977 Test. However, his team lost the match by 2 wickets. Kohli followed him at the second spot in the tally with a 123-run knock at Optus Stadium in 2018, but the results didn’t go in India’s favour.
Legendary Bishan Singh Bedi is the only Indian to claim a 10-wicket haul in a Test match in Perth as he achieved the feat in 1977. Despite playing just one match in Perth, he remained the highest wicket-taker for India there with 10 scalps under his kitty.
Premier India paceman Mohammed Shami registered the best bowling figures for India in Perth during the 2018-19 tour. He claimed 6 for 56 in the second innings but failed to inspire the visitors to win the match.
India doesn’t have many fond memories of playing in Perth, as they have won only one match there, which remains a memorable one. It was a match from 2018 where India won by 72 runs and Irfan Pathan was named Player of the Match for his all-round show. He claimed five wickets and scored 74 runs across two innings. It also holds a strong memory in Indian cricket fans’ minds as prior to that match, the monkey-gate controversy hit the series in Sydney, which ignited fire in both teams.
