Australia in a spin after being dismissed for 177 on day one of first Test in India

Australia’s hopes of a breakthrough triumph in India have been left in tatters after the hosts dominated day one of the first Test in Nagpur.

After electing to bat first on a turning pitch at VCA Stadium, Pat Cummins’ team were skittled for 177 in 64 overs, before India raced to 76-1 at stumps.

India captain Rohit Sharma (56 not out) belted Cummins for 13 runs off the first over in an ominous start to the home side’s innings.

Cummins and Scott Boland, in his first Test outside of Australia, were the visitors’ only quicks as selectors opted to pick debutant spinner Todd Murphy (1-13) to partner star veteran Nathan Lyon.

Young Victorian Murphy, who is Australia’s 465th Test player, claimed his maiden international wicket just before stumps, hanging onto a catch off his own bowling to dismiss KL Rahul for 20.

Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was sent out as a nightwatchman, surviving the last over.

KS Bharat of India celebrates after he stumped Marnus Labuschagne in Nagpur. Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Missing star quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, as well as allrounder Cameron Green, Australia’s four frontline bowlers could be in for some serious time in the field.

Australia’s vulnerabilities facing the turning ball were badly exposed as they lost eight wickets to spin, with star allrounder Ravi Jadeja taking 5-42.

A difficult pitch to bat on it may be, but it was still Australia’s lowest first-innings total since 2016 as they chase their first series win in India for 19 years.

Left-arm spinner Jadeja, playing his first Test since July, claimed the key wickets of Marnus Labuschagne (49) and Steve Smith (37) as Australia’s hopes of posting a respectable total in the first Test all but died with their dismissals.

Australia were 76-2 at lunch but lost six wickets during the middle session after Labuschagne and Smith attempted to revive the innings when they came together at 2-2.

Peter Handscomb, who was recalled for his first Test since January 2019, made a valiant 31 but was the ninth man out after also falling to Jadeja.

Pre-match talk centred around the unusual methods used by ground staff to curate the pitch in a bid to capitalise on India’s trio of spinners – Jadeja, Ashwin and Axar Patel.

Openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja fell to quicks, but the other eight wickets were claimed by Jadeja and Ashwin (3-42).

Khawaja was out on the first ball of the second over after India successfully reviewed a lbw shout off Mohammed Siraj.

The ball appeared to be veering down leg-side but DRS showed it was hitting Khawaja’s leg stump.

Todd Murphy of Australia (with glasses) celebrates taking is first Test wicket. Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

There was no doubt about Warner’s dismissal, with the aggressive veteran’s off-stump careering away after a brilliant delivery by Mohammed Shami.

Australia selectors made the bombshell call to drop dynamic left-hander Travis Head, who is the world’s No4 ranked batter, preferring Matthew Renshaw and Handscomb.

Despite averaging more than 50 and scoring two centuries last year, Head’s poor record in Asia counted against him as Australia attempt to end a 19-year series drought in India.

Renshaw was out for a golden duck as the Queenslander fell the ball after Labuschagne was stumped.

India handed debuts to Twenty20 sensation Suryakumar Yadav and wicketkeeper KS Bharat, who replaced Rishabh Pant after the star suffered serious injuries in a car accident in December.