Australia vs India 2018-19: 3 things we learned from Day 1 at Perth

#1. 300 might be enough on this pitch

The bounce made it awkward for the batsmen

When the Australian board decided to move all future Test matches away from the historic WACA and play them at the new Optus Stadium instead, many believed that the unique flavour of the WACA pitch would be lost forever. But somehow, the curator has managed to serve up a pitch as spicy, if not more.

The pitch at the Optus Stadium looked like a belter in the first session as Harris and Finch got off to a flying start; the pair ensured that India finished wicket-less in the first session. However, the pitch started to spit fire as soon as the second session got underway.

The ball bounced awkwardly off the pacers and the spinners, with Peter Handscomb and Harris falling prey to the unexpected bounce. Moreover, there were also a couple of instances where the ball kept extremely low.

Yet, the biggest talking point of the day came towards the end when a full-length Bumrah delivery bounced over the wicket-keeper’s head and resulted in four byes. Additionally, there was lateral movement on offer with the second new ball, thus opening up another dimension altogether.

With the wicket spitting such fire on the first day itself, it is scary to think how it will pan out in the days to come.

Australia seem to have won a good toss and may just have had the pitch at its best. The home side have already put up 277 on the board, and would hope to add as many as possible tomorrow.

The evidence from Day 1 suggests that a total of around 300 could be the difference-maker. The pitch is certainly not going to get any easier in the days to come, and the batsmen who would’ve felt relieved at not going to the WACA might just have to buckle up for an even sterner test.