Perth: Yashasvi Jaiswal slammed a majestic 161 and Virat Kohli roared back to form with a vintage century yesterday as India zeroed in on victory against Australia in the first Test in Perth. The visitors declared their second innings on 487-6 in the final session of day three after Kohli reached 100. Faced with an ominous 534 to win, Australia needed to survive 30 minutes before stumps.
But they instead imploded with rookie Nathan McSweeney out for a duck to Jasprit Bumrah and nightwatchman Pat Cummins falling for two, edging Mohammed Siraj to Kohli at slip. When Bumrah trapped Marnus Labuschagne (3) lbw, stumps were called with Usman Khawaja not-out three and Australia in disarray at 12-3. The day belonged to Jaiswal, who grew up homeless in the slums of Mumbai, hitting 15 fours and three sixes in a mature 297-ball stay.
The 22-year-old opener, in his 15th Test, seemed destined for a double century but he cut Mitchell Marsh to Steve Smith at point and departed to a standing ovation. Kohli was also on fire in a welcome resurgence after a lengthy lean spell that sparked questions about his place in the team. The 36-year-old superstar rode his luck to bring up a 30th Test ton and his first since July last year to silence the critics.
While Kohli has struggled in recent Tests, he has an exceptional record in Australia, and now has seven centuries, averaging over 54. Brief Scores: Australia 104 and 12 for 3 need 522 more runs to beat India 150 and 487 for 6 dec (Jaiswal 161, Koh.