India spinner Ravindra Jadeja collected a five-for on his test return to help bowl out Australia for 177 on the first day Thursday of the first test. India pressed home its advantage to reach 77-1 at stumps, with Rohit Sharma 56 not out.
Australia openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner were gone within the first 13 deliveries. Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith fashioned an 82-run respite but the last five wickets went for 15 runs in 10.5 overs.
India made a rollicking start, with the pacemen making the ball swing, even if there wasn’t enough bounce in the Nagpur deck. Mohammed Siraj trapped Khawaja low on the pad in front of leg stump with his first delivery in the second over, and the original not out decision was overturned on review.
Mohammed Shami started the third over with a delivery between Warner’s bat and pad that sent the off stump cartwheeling, and Australia was 2-2.
Spin was introduced in the seventh over courtesy of Jadeja then Axar Patel. Veteran Ravichandran Ashwin entered the attack late in the first session but gave away runs at a faster clip.
Labuschagne and Smith negated then spin with clever footwork and were rarely troubled in getting Australia to lunch on 76-2.
After lunch, India got on top quickly. Jadeja made the breakthrough when Labuschagne was stumped by Srikar Bharat for 49 runs off 123 balls. Jadeja trapped Matt Renshaw for a duck off the next ball, and when he Jadeja bowled Smith for 37 off 107 balls with an arm-ball that held its line, Aus-tralia crashed from 84-2 to 109-5 in the space of 6.2 overs.—AFP
