NEW DELHI: Skipper Rohit Sharma scored an unbeaten 56 on Thursday to make sure that India took advantage of the bowlers' superlative performance on the opening day of the first Test of the four-match series at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.
India closed the day's play at 77 for 1 to trail Australia by 100 runs. This after comeback man Ravindra Jadeja-led bowling attack bundled out the visitors for just 177 runs in their first innings.
As it happened: India vs Australia, 1st Test Day 1
Jadeja, who was playing his first international match after recovering from a knee surgery, took his 11th five-wicket haul to return figures of 5 for 47, and was well supported by fellow spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (3 for 42), who became the fastest Indian to take 450 Test wickets.
Rohit added a solid 76 runs for the opening wicket with KL Rahul (20), before the latter was dismissed by debutant off-spinner Todd Murphy in the penultimate over of the day. Rohit hit a six and nine fours in his 69-ball knock.
Rohit began by hitting three boundaries off Australian skipper Pat Cummins' first over, and put on a solid stand with Rahul. The Indian captain reached his fifty with a four off Nathan Lyon and remained sharp to see off the day's play.
Rahul fell caught and bowled off Murphy, who celebrated his first Test wicket.
Jadeja, a left-arm orthodox bowler who was making a comeback into the Indian side, stood out with his guile, taking key wickets including those of Marnus Labuschagne (49) and Steve Smith (37).
Both Australians had launched a fightback with their third-wicket 82-run stand after losing openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner early in the day.
Peter Handscomb (31) and wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey (36) also put on a partnership of 53 before Ashwin ended Carey's spell at the crease to record his 450th Test wicket.
Jadeja's double strike on successive balls soon after lunch rocked the tourists as he sent back Labuschagne and then trapped Matt Renshaw for a first-ball duck. He later bowled Smith with a delivery that went through his bat and pad.
Ashwin and Jadeja kept up the charge to get into the Australian tail when the tourists took tea at 174/8, and added just three runs in the final session.
Earlier, seamer Mohammed Siraj struck on his first ball to get Khawaja trapped lbw for one with a delivery that swung in to the left-hander, after the tourists elected to bat at the start of the four-match series.
An appeal was turned down by the on-field umpire but India successfully reviewed the decision.
Mohammed Shami raised the noise in the next over when the seamer bowled the left-handed Warner for one.
Australia controversially left out in-form left-hand batsman Travis Head, while India handed Test caps to Twenty20 sensation Suryakumar Yadav and wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat.
(With inputs from AFP)
