Indian players celebrate the dismissal of Australia's Travis Head during the first day of the fourth cricket test match between India and Australia in Ahmedabad.(Photo | AP)
AHMEDABAD: Australia were 255 for four at stumps against India on the opening day of the series-deciding fourth Test here on Thursday.
Opener Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green were batting on 104 and 49 respectively at the close of play.
After skipper Steve Smith opted to bat, Australia were off to a good start with the duo of Khawaja and Travis Head adding 61 runs for the first wicket.
Travis Head (32) and Marnus Labuschagne (3) were dismissed in quick succession by Ashwin and Shami respectively.
There is nothing in the track and Australia, if they apply themselves well, could post their best total of the series.
Head, in fact, must be feeling horrible as he undid all his good work in the first hour by playing an indiscreet shot.
He tried to chip Ashwin over mid-on without reaching to the pitch of the delivery.
Ashwin had just altered the length slightly and deceived Head, who offered the easiest of catches to one of the world's best fielders, Ravindra Jadeja.
Head got a reprieve while batting on seven when wicketkeeper KS Bharath dropped a regulation catch off Umesh Yadav's bowling.
Umesh, who has always been blamed for his inconsistency, was once again erratic as he gave a lot of boundary balls.
Out of the seven boundaries that Head got, half a dozen came from Umesh's overs.
Bharath would like to forget the session in a hurry as he was troubled by inconsistent bounce on both sides of the wicket.
He found it difficult to gather a lot of balls which kept low from one end, and conceded eight byes, apart from dropping a dolly.
The end from which Shami bowled, a lot of deliveries kept low and one such ball brought about the downfall of Labuschagne.
It was an off-cutter and Labuschagne wanted to play the square cut but dragged it back onto the stumps, much to his dismay.
In between Smith's dismissal by Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami bowled Marnus Labuschagne (3) and Peter Handscomb (17) with two beautiful deliveries.
India lead the series 2-1.
Brief scores: Australia 1st innings: 255/4 in 90 overs (Usman Khawaja 104 not out, Cameron Green 49 not out, Steve Smith 38; Mohammed Shami 2/65).
