India's emphatic win in the 1st Test at Perth has rung alarm bells in the Australian dressing room and all the way to England, where former cricketers can't believe that the Aussies got thrashed by a margin as big as 295 runs. Perth has always been one of Australia's most sacred venues, where visiting teams have often been rolled over. But the fact that India started the series by smashing Australia inside four days is a cracking achievement, acknowledged well by ex-captain Alastair Cook and former pacer Steven Finn.

Cook was 'surprised' to see India's dominance, especially after they were bowled out for 150 in the first innings once stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and opted to bat. On a pitch where the winning captains have traditionally liked to bowl, Bumrah made a bold call. But as the old adage goes, high risk implies high reward, which is what India benefitted from.

"I was surprised. I was surprised that India have gone there and hammered Australia in what normally is a very hard place to play cricket. I know it's not the WACA; it's the new stadium, but still, historically, Australia don't lose many games there. I thought India were so brave. To win the toss and bat first on that wicket – even though it was only 150 that they got – the thought process was to respond to Australia's challenge," Cook said on TNT Sports.

"When you've got Bumrah with the new ball on those kind of wickets, it's always going to be outstanding. Backed up by the teammates. Just think of how brave they were; they didn't even bother to play R Ashwin, who's picked 500 Test wickets. Great thinking by them, and isn't it always great to see Australia getting thrashed."

'Bumrah is a joke'

Plenty of individual performances paved the way for India's win. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored his fourth Test century – first in Australia playing his maiden Test, KL Rahul's gritty half-century in the second innings, Virat Kohli ending his century drought with his 30th Test ton, and Harshit Rana breathing fire on his debut. However, as per Finn, the one who stands head and shoulders above all is Bumrah. India's stand-in captain finished with a match-haul of eight wickets, including an 11th Test five-for in the first innings.

Bumrah, along with India's insane bench strength, comes across as a threat to Finn and, most likely, England, who will host this team next summer for five Test matches.

"The strength and depth of Indian cricket is terrifying, really. Jaiswal scored that brilliant 161 but the player that I love watching and is the best in the world at the moment is Jasprit Bumrah. He is a joke, honestly. You watch him bowl, and you just think I am glad that I don't have to put the straps on. If you think back to those deliveries, he's pinned the ball straight into the pads, which you don’t see people doing," Finn said.

"Smith, Labuschagne… on the pads like that. It's a mix of his pace, skill and build-up to those. In isolation, those wickets look dodgy but it's the skills and to get those balls in from outside the off-stump – away swingers and then with the big booming inswinger. It's marvelous bowling. I stayed up all night watching him bowl. I can't keep my eyes off him."

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