Watch: Marnus Labuschagne blows a kiss at Harshit Rana; Virat Kohli bursts into laughter

Team India's young fast bowler Harshit Rana received a kiss from Australian top-order batter Marnus Labuschagne during the first Test match in Perth. Labuschagne's gesture came during Australia's first innings of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25) series opener against India.

Harshit Rana and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy were handed their debuts for the first Test at the Optus Stadium on Friday, November 22. Harshit received his India Test cap from Ravichandran Ashwin, while Virat Kohli handed the cap to Nitish. Rana was preferred over Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna.

Watch: Marnus Labuschagne's Kiss Gesture Towards Harshit Rana

The incident took place on the fifth ball of the eighth over in Australia's first innings. Harshit Rana, bowling his first over in international cricket, delivered a short-of-length ball that hit Marnus Labuschagne.

Harshit approached Labuschagne for a chat. Labuschagne responded with a big smile and blew a kiss at the bowler. The interaction captured the attention of cricket fans, with the video going viral on social media.

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Harshit Rana picked up his first international wicket by dismissing the dangerous Travis Head on the first ball of his third over. The right-arm fast bowler breached the left-handed batter's defense to rattle the stumps. The home team lost their five wickets for just 38 runs on the board on the first day.

Marnus Labuschagne Takes Stunning Catch Dismisses Harshit Rana in Perth

In the 47th over, Josh Hazlewood found the edge of Harshit Rana's bat. Fielder Nathan McSweeney dived to his left, but the ball bounced out of his hand. However, Marnus Labuschagne executed an incredible dive to scoop it up just before it touched the ground, securing the dismissal of the Indian batter.

“This is unbelievable, great reactions from both players really,” Hussey said.

“Marnus Labuschagne, getting the ricochet... how often do you see it, the Australians had to work really hard for that Rishabh Pant wicket, and then they get two."

“A great team catch... it’s been a really good day for Australia in the field. That is brilliant work from Marnus Labuschagne, staying in the game.”

Team India Bundled Out for Just 150 Runs in First Innings of Perth Test

Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah's decision to bat first backfired as Australia's pace attack dismissed the visitors for just 150 runs in 49.4 overs. Josh Hazlewood was the pick of the bowlers for Australia with four wickets for 29 runs. Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Marsh took two wickets each on Day 1.

Rishabh Pant (37) and debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) showed some resistance with a 48-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Notably, nine Indian batters were dismissed through catches behind the stumps. Veteran Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon failed to make an impact with the ball.

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