MELBOURNE : India paceman Umesh Yadav dismissed Shaun Marsh for a duck shortly after taking the wicket of belligerent opener David Warner to slow Australia's charge in the opening session of the first test in Melbourne on Monday.
With the green-tinged wicket offering swing and varying bounce in overcast conditions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the 24-year-old hounded opener Ed Cowan and number four Ricky Ponting until rain brought up lunch early.
Cowan compiled a watchful 14 in his test debut, with former captain Ponting grafting 15 to push Australia to 68-2 at the break.
Michael Clarke won the toss and sent Australia in to bat but the decision almost backfired spectacularly when a jumpy Warner survived an inside edge off paceman Ishant Sharma that whistled over the bails and beat wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on the way to the boundary.
Warner, a Twenty20 specialist who scored an unbeaten century against New Zealand in the second test, was soon on the front foot, however, blasting four boundaries and a six off the Indian pacemen.
Warner and Cowan attacked Yadav with abandon, plundering him for 16 runs in the 12th over, but the rookie paceman hit back two overs later when he tempted Warner into a rash hook shot that popped the ball up for an easy catch to captain Dhoni.
Yadav then had Marsh out for a six-ball duck in his next over, coaxing the number three forward with a fuller, wider delivery.
Marsh drove half-heartedly straight down the throat of Virat Kohli at gully, to leave Australia reeling at 46-2 and the large Indian contingent in the crowd roaring in the stands.
Ponting, battling poor form and needing runs to stay in the side, was immediately under pressure, and was softened up in his second ball off Yadav when he miscued a pull and had the ball crashing into the grill of his helmet.
The 37-year-old recovered, however, belting a defiant pull shot behind square for four off Zaheer Khan before he and Cowan watchfully saw out the remaining overs.
India named Khan and Ishant Sharma in the team after the pair brushed off injury concerns, with three-test offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin also selected.
Captain Dhoni had earlier welcomed being given the chance to bowl, saying he felt the wicket would likely hold reward for the attacking side. (Reuters)
