Australia's Border-Gavaskar Trophy hopes are delicately poised after the tourists made 263 in their first innings on day one of the second Test against India in Delhi.
India openers Rohit Sharma (13 not out) and KL Rahul (4 not out) survived a tricky nine-over spell before stumps on day one to guide the hosts to 0-21 at Arun Jaitely Stadium.
Sharma was given out off Nathan Lyon's bowling in the final over, but the India captain successfully overturned the decision.
After captain Pat Cummins won his eighth-straight toss, Australia built more of a platform than in Nagpur last week, when it capitulated to an innings and 132-run defeat.
Resilient knocks from Usman Khawaja (81) and Peter Handscomb (72 not out) helped Australia to almost surpass its two combined innings from the first Test.
Australia would have hoped for a higher score on a pitch holding few demons but the total was perhaps better than expected after it slumped to 3-91 and 6-168.
There had been some bold and at times puzzling selections already in this four-Test series, but Australia is already vindicated by the decision to recall Handscomb.
The Victorian delivered one of his finest Test performances by thwarting India's imposing bowling attack.
Handscomb combined for a 61-run fifth-wicket stand with opener Khawaja as the pair appeared to turn the momentum in Australia's favour.
But after losing 2-0 in three balls in the first session, Australia lost 2-1 soon before the tea break as Alex Carey was dismissed without scoring.
It was first Test stars Ravichandran Ashwin (3-57) and Ravi Jadeja (3-68) who landed the important blows by taking the prized scalps of Marnus Labuschange (18) and Steve Smith (0).
Khawaja's enterprising knock came to an end in stunning fashion, with Rahul hanging onto a diving, mid-air catch as the home crowd erupted.
The left-hander rode his luck in brilliant fashion to notch Australia's first half-century of the series, surviving some loud shouts from India's spinners and quicks alike.
Khawaja's opening partner David Warner fell for 15 to end a torturous innings where he was hit on the helmet and elbow in separate incidents — he then failed to take the field when Australia bowled late in the day.
After India took 15 of Australia's 20 wickets in Nagpur with spin, fast bowler Mohammed Shami bowled tirelessly to finish with figures of 4-60.
Australia's bold gamble to experiment with playing Cummins as their only recognised quick will be put to the ultimate test on Saturday, after the tourists opted to include Queensland spinner Matt Kuhnemann.
Kuhnemann was playing in front of barely a 100 spectators at the Sheffield Shield less than a week ago, but the left-armer opened the bowling alongside Cummins in the Indian capital.
The 26-year-old is playing as a third spinner alongside first Test sensation Todd Murphy and veteran Nathan Lyon after being called into the squad six days ago to replace Queensland teammate Mitchell Swepson.
Miserly Victorian quick Scott Boland dropped out for Kuhnemann after playing an important role in Nagpur last week.
After being dropped for the first Test, Travis Head replaced Matt Renshaw in the Australian batting line-up.
AAP
Look back at how the action unfolded in our blog.
Key events
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Live updates
You are most welcome
By Simon Smale
Cracking day one to start the 2nd test - thanks for the entertaining solo blog Simon
- Mike
That has been an excellent day of cricket, and it has been a pleasure to bring it to you all.
Thank you all for contributing so much in the comments - I wish I had more time to be able to bring more in between the spinning overs.
I hope you'll join me tomorrow for what promises to be another fascinating day's play on a pitch that's going to get harder and harder to bat on.
Enjoy the rest of your evening.
Cross country cricket
By Simon Smale
Just cooling down after a hot day volunteering at the World Cross Country Championships. Beer and cricket to end the day, before more heat tomorrow.
- Jim in Bathurst
And more cricket, I hope!
Definitely could have been worse
By Simon Smale
This could have gone worse I guess
- Chris
I think Australia should be really pleased with that to be honest.
'If we bowl really well, 260 is really competitive': Khawaja
By Simon Smale
Usman Khawaja is speaking to the host broadcaster.
"I found it pretty challenging," Khawaja says of batting today.
"There was always something out there for the lefties."
He says that Peter Handscomb batted really well, but the right handers have it easier than the left handers in India.
"At some level it does suit the right handers," Khawaja says.
"Left handers need to be more flamboyant to do well in India," he says.
As for his team's future prospects?
"I hope [the surface is breaking up]," he says.
"If we bowl really well, 260 is really competitive."
Stumps: India 0-21 (Rohit 13, Rahul 4), trail by 242
By Simon Smale
So, India keeps all its wickets intact, but that was still a decent day for Australia.
A competitive total on a pitch that even in that nine-over burst started to misbehave more than it did during the entire India innings.
There is reason to be hopeful for Australia though.
Let's see what tomorrow brings in terms of how India bat on it, and how much Australia's abundance of spinners extract from the favourable surface.
9th over - three to come
By Simon Smale
Rohit turns the ball away for a single.
Oh what happened there, Lyon got one to not bounce at all! Lyon is bowling on leg and outside leg stump for some reason, so it didn't go on to hit the stumps, but that's a real eye opener.
Rahul defends the last into the on side and India surives to the close unscathed.
OUT! IS ROHIT OUT!?
By Simon Smale
The finger goes up!
He's going to review! Marnus made the catch at bat pad.
Was bat involved?
Doesn't look like it on the way in, to be honest.
Did it hit on the way out? India got away with one in the 2021 series against England when the third umpire didn't check this, but the glove was nowhere near the glove.
Overturned on review.
Rohit was angry when reviewed that - he thought it was a poor decision and slammed the bat against his glove.
9th over - the last of the day, to be bowled by the GOAT
By Simon Smale
KL Rahul gets off strike - that's a bit of an error there from the Aussies, he has not looked comfortable.
Rohit turns the ball to that deep leg gully, no run.
8th over - two to come in the day, Kuhnemann to bowl the penultimate set of six
By Simon Smale
Good start, Rohit defends off his leg stump.
Quick work behind and around the stumps, Renshaw at silly point slaps the ball off his palm to Carey, who rips the stumps out the ground. Rohit was back though.
David Warner, who got hurt on his arm while batting, is off the field.
Two runs as Rohit taps the ball to deep backward square.
Marnus is loving having one of his mates, bowling with him, and he loved that ball, which turned and bit and had Rohit flinching as he fended the ball down in front of silly point.
Two slips now.
"CATCH" is the call, as the ball beats those slips town towards third man, off the shoulder of the bat. Great bowling. They run two, but that's a little win for the bowler.
More excitement - mostly from Marnus it must be said - as ROhit defends forward.
There was a puff of dust there as well.
7th over - here comes the GOAT
By Simon Smale
Time for some Nathan Lyon action before the close.
Nothing doing so far as Rahul defends the first couple.
That provokes a discussion in the middle, and a request for a helmet for Labuschagne at bat pad, to join the silly point and slip as close catchers.
Rahul takes a single.
Rohit tries to turn the ball around the corner, there is a man at deep leg gully though who cuts it off.
BIG APPEAL! They won't review this I don't think, it was going down leg. Close, but no cigar.
Rohit dabs off his hip for a single.
6th over - Kuhnemann continues
By Simon Smale
Rohit is not comfortable against Kuhnemann at the moment.
He defends the first couple.
CLOSE! A good ball, that went on with the arm, and was so close to either hitting pad first, which would have been stone dead LBW, or even sneaking between the gap.
CLOSE! That held a bit in the pitch and Rohit was lucky not to play that back into Kuhnemann's hands.
Great over, his first maiden in Test cricket.
It's unique!
By Simon Smale
Simon, that stand looks horrifying!!!
- Steph in Melbourne
But I can see why it might make people nervous.
There's a 35,000 capacity football field, the Ambedkar stadium, home of football in Delhi, behind that stand, by the way, and it looks like the stand has a reverse of boxes that look out over the pitch from an angle on the corner.
It's a neat little feature I think.
5th over - There are five overs left in the day, Cummins will bowl another
By Simon Smale
Hurried calls of no greet a dab off Rahul's pads to square leg.
He leaves the next outside off.
Rahul now defends solidly outside off.
Outside off, Cummins continues to explore that forth and fifth stump line.
Cummins arrows one in at the stumps, which Rahul does well to keep out, there's no run.
4th over - Kuhnemann continues
By Simon Smale
Rahul defends solidly as Kuhnemann comes around the wicket.
Not sure what happened there, he may have slipped? Whatever, he aborted the delivery at the last minute - perhaps got his front foot at the wrong angle.
Rahul defends solidly.
A single is punched down the ground to long off - Mark Waugh his angry that long off is back at all, and it's hard to disagree. Rahul is under pressure for runs, why not target him?
Long off comes in now.
Good shape, Rohit defends solidly back down the pitch.
Just the single off the over.
3rd over - Pat Cummins continues
By Simon Smale
Peter Handscomb missed the first two overs, but he's out there now, wearing his baggy green.
A single to deep gully, Rohit was a bit edgy there, past the slips.
KL Rahul on strike, and BEATEN! Lovely from Cummins, who lets a wry smile cross his lips.
Rahul pushes off the back foot and gets a single point.
Rohit leaves outside off and then defends solidly.
He leaves outside off to end the over.
2nd over - The debutant is thrown the new ball!
By Simon Smale
He wasn't even in India this time last week. Now he's opening the bowling for Australia in his maiden Test match.
Wow, talk about being thrown in at the deep end.
One slip and a bat pad. Good start, shape in to Rohit, who fends into the off side for no run.
Another good ball, on the money, Rohit will be watching for the turn.
Will Kuhnemann toss one up?
A bit straight but Rohit fends it away for no run.
Outside off, Rohit does push to point for a single.
BEATEN! What a ball! Beating the outside edge, turning too, away for four byes. What a ball. That kept really low too. Oh my word, what a start that would have been.
Kuhenmann straightens up and gets turn, Rahul defends back down the pitch.
Tidy start for the Queenslander.
1st over - Pat Cummins to bowl
By Simon Smale
KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are out in the middle, the crowd are expectant.
Three slips in place, a ring field, Cummins steams in and Rohit cuts and Lyon saves runs with a sharp piece of fielding at point.
FOUR! Now Rohit cuts behind Lyon and gets a boundary! The crowd rise as one and shriek their joy to the heavens.
They're silenced now though, as Cummins raps his Indian counterpart on the pads.
Rohit leaves a 138kph delivery outside off.
Cummins will want to stay on that fifth stump line as much as possible, Rohit will leap on anything straight.
Extra bounce and Rohit scampers through for a single after ripping the hand away from the handle. That could have gone anywhere, it went to short backward point.
Good ball to Rahul, who defends on off stump as the ball came up off a length.
