On November 24 (Sunday), Yashasvi Jaiswal became the fifth Indian batsman to score a test century against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The 22-year-old left-handed batsman started Day 3 of the first test on a thumping note and recorded his first international ton in SENA during India’s 2nd innings in the season opener of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.
Interestingly, in the same match, Virat Kohli recorded his 81st international century, which was his 30th test hundred as well. This was the first time that Kohli’s test century in Australia contributed to a winning outcome for his team.
But, the centuries of the three legendary Indian cricketers such as Sachin Tendulkar (in 1991), Sunil Gavaskar, and Mohinder Amarnath (in 1977) at the W.A.C.A stadium (currently known as Optus Stadium) in Perth will always be hailed as a masterclass performance. Although India lost those matches to Australia, their contributions will always remain special ones.
Especially, Jaiswal and Kohli’s centuries during India’s 2nd innings set a mammoth target of 534 runs against the Aussies. As a result, Team India led by Jasprit Bumrah created history for the first time in 47 years by securing a 295-run victory, which is the highest winning margin on Australian soil as well as the second outside Asia.
As India secured a historical win to take a 1-0 lead in the ongoing five-match test series, let’s take a closer look at the five Indian batsman and their efforts to reach a three-figure score in Perth.
1. Sunil Gavaskar (1977):
With a lead of just 8 runs, Sunil Gavaskar as an opening batsman scored 127 runs from 245 balls (including 20 fours) in the second innings at a strike rate of 51.84. He made a remarkable comeback after scoring just 4 runs in the first innings.
However, India declared the innings at 330-9 in 73.5 overs proved to be a backfiring moment as Australia chased down the target with a 2-wicket victory and reached a total of 342-8 in 87.2 overs.
2.Mohinder Amarnath (1977):
Batting at the third position, Mohinder Amarnath scored a 175-ball-century (including 4 fours) at a strike rate of 57.14 during India’s second innings.
Although the right-handed batsman fell 10 runs short of recording his century in the first innings itself (90 runs from 156 balls– including 7 fours), he succeeded in accomplishing his milestone in Perth.
Interestingly, it was the same inning where Gavaskar recorded his century in Perth and maintained a 193-partnership with Amarnath. Despite the brilliant efforts of these duo batters, India wasn’t able to defend the target of 349 runs and lost the game by 2 wickets.
3. Sachin Tendulkar (1992):
In response to Australia’s first innings total of 346-10 in 125.5 overs, Sachin Tendulkar batting in the middle order, led his team from the front. He was the solo performer of his side with his valiant century of 114 runs from 161 balls (including 16 fours) that helped India’s first innings conclude at 272-10 in 89.5 overs.
However, Indian batters weren’t able to chase a massive target of 441 runs in the 2nd innings and lost the match by 300 runs.
4. Virat Kohli (2018 and 2024):
Recently, Virat Kohli became the only Indian batsman to achieve two consecutive test tons in Perth.
Back in 2018, Australia posted a challenging total of 326-10 in 108.3 overs in their first innings. However, India reached 283-10 in 105.5 overs riding on Kohli’s blistering ton of 123 runs from 257 balls, including a six and 13 fours batting at a strike rate of 47.86. Even after the instant dismissals of the top three batsmen, the right-handed batsman stitched a steady partnership of 91 runs with Rahane.
Although it was one of the best knocks for Virat in test cricket on Australian pitches, India lost the game by 146 runs.
Six years later in 2024, Virat Kohli recorded his 30th test ton at the same venue by scoring 100 runs out of just 143 balls that included 8 fours and 2 sixes, which contributed to India’s sensational victory against the Aussies. Moreover, it was a much-required century for the 36-year-old batsman not only to break numerous records but also to score his 81st international century after a long gap of 12 months.
5. Yashasvi Jaiswal (2024):
Even after an 8-ball-duck in the first innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal continued with his fearless approach on the overseas pitches and successfully achieved his fourth test century as well as the first in Australia. The 22-year opening batsman required 205 balls to accomplish his milestone in the opening test of the BGT 2024-25 in Perth and went on to score 161 runs from 297 balls (including 15 fours and 3 sixes) at a batting strike rate of 54.21. Furthermore, he extended India’s 247-run lead by maintaining an opening partnership of 201 runs with KL Rahul, who played a supportive role with his 176-ball-77 runs (including 5 fours).
Interestingly, this is the fourth instance Yashasvi Jaiswal’s test century contributed to a dominant victory for India.
Overall, the collaboration of Jaiswal and Kohli’s century in the first test proves how the modern generation batsman can make match-winning contributions in red-ball cricket on Australian soil.
