INDORE: A steady unbeaten 59-run stand between Marnus Labuschagne  and Usman Khawaja and  taken Australia to 71/1 in 22 overs at tea on day one of 3rd  Test against India at the Holkar Stadium on Wednesday, March 1.

After bowling out the hosts for 109 all out on a pitch that offered sharp turn and low bounce to spinners, left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann recorded his first five-fer in Test cricket, but Australia still trails India by 38 runs.

When India came out to bat, they were successful right away when Ravindra Jadeja caught Travis Head lbw in his first over and the left-handed batter was called out after a review. Labuschagne was cleanly bowled for a duck by Jadeja, but replays revealed it was a no-ball.

India lost two reviews in the space of five overs, both of which were against Khawaja, demonstrating their desperate need for a wicket. India was cautious in asking for a review when Ashwin trapped him in the leg-by-leg position, which subsequently proved to be a tremendous opportunity lost.

Khawaja and Labuschagne used very loose deliveries to hit boundaries while playing with soft hands and remaining relaxed. Despite exerting excessive effort, India's bowlers were unable to produce the proper line or length to challenge Khawaja and Labuschagne. After Australia had the upper hand in the second session, Labuschagne was unconquered on 16, while Khawaja is unbeaten at 33.

Kuhnemann had earlier struck after lunch by turning Ashwin's bat's edge, but Alex Carey caught him behind for a fine low catch. India passed the 100-point mark thanks to a pair of slog sweeps and a hoicked four from Umesh Yadav.

Umesh was caught in a low lbw by Kuhnemann, who then scored five points by hitting him on the rear pad. During lunch, Mohammed Siraj's innings for India came to an end because he was too slow to react to the second run from an alert Axar Patel.

Brief Scores: India 109 all out in 33.3 overs (Virat Kohli 22, Shubman Gill 21; Matthew Kuhnemann 5/16, Nathan Lyon 3/35) lead Australia 71/1 in 22 overs (Usman Khawaja 33 not out, Marnus Labuschagne 16 not out; Ravindra Jadeja 1/28) by 38 runs.

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