ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Travis Head rescued Australia with a half-century on the second day of the first test after India's disciplined bowling attack had threatened to take control in Adelaide on Friday.
In reply to India's first innings of 250, Australia reached stumps at 191 for seven, with Head 61 not out and Mitchell Starc unbeaten on 8. Head played a lone hand and shared a valuable 50-run seventh-wicket partnership with Pat Cummins.
Australia looked set for a sizeable first-innings deficit after losing Peter Handscomb (34) and captain Tim Paine shortly after tea, slumping to 127-6. Batting with Cummins, Head notched his second test half-century.
India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed 3 for 50 from 33 overs, while quicks Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma picked up two wickets apiece.
The temperature in Adelaide neared 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) but cloud cover provided favorable conditions for India's attack.
Ashwin carried a heavy workload and bowled unchanged from the middle of the first session through to tea. He also took the new ball but could not add to his tally of wickets.
India bowled with accuracy and stifled the scoring on the two-paced pitch. They snared the wickets of both Australian openers in the first session, including Aaron Finch for a third-ball duck.
The hard-hitting Finch drove loosely at a full delivery and inside-edged onto his stumps, which went cartwheeling.
Finch became just the fifth Australian batsman to be dismissed without scoring in their home test debut. Marcus Harris, making his test debut, fell just before lunch when he prodded a full Ashwin delivery to Murali Vijay at silly point. Harris made 26 runs from 57 balls.
Ashwin continued to menace Australia in the second session with bounce and spin, which accounted for the prized wicket of Usman Khawaja, who was caught behind off the glove. Khawaja, Australia's most accomplished batsman, struggled to find his fluency and made a painstaking 28 off 125 balls.
Ashwin had earlier dismissed Shaun Marsh, who is under immense pressure having scored just 90 runs in his last 11 test innings.
Paceman Mohammed Shami bowled untroubled after an earlier injury scare. He received treatment on his left shoulder just before lunch and briefly left the field.
Australia dismissed India on the first ball of the morning, with Shami edging a short Josh Hazlewood delivery to be caught behind.
Cheteshwar Pujara top-scored with 123 runs and No. 6 batsman Rohit Sharma was next best with 37 runs. Hazlewood finished with 3 for 52 from 20 overs.
Hazlewood finished with 3 for 52 from 20 overs.
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