Day 1 report: Starc decimates India batting, Australia with early cushion in Adelaide

Australia v India, 2nd Test, Scorecard

Powered by an exquisite display from their pacers, Australia finished Day 1 of the second Test against India in a commanding position at the Adelaide Oval.

After restricting the visitors for 180, Australia lost Usman Khawaja early in the last session, but regained rhythm with Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne looking settled in the middle. The duo put together an unbeaten 62-run stand for the second wicket as Australia finished the day's play at 86/1, trailing by 94 runs.

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Earlier, after India won the toss and elected to bat first, Mitchell Starc ran riot with the ball. The fiery left-arm quick finished with career-best bowling figures of 6/48, claiming the wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who put on a late shift with the bat to score some crucial runs lower down the order.

Reddy's blistering cameo

The biggest highlight of the day for India came with the bat from Nitish Kumar Reddy. Featuring in only his second Test, Reddy blazed a 54-ball-42 that included three fours and as many sixes.

Coming in to bat after India had lost skipper Rohit Sharma just on the other side of Dinner, Reddy produced a breathtaking counter-attacking display, which included him 21 runs off a Scott Boland over in which he fashioned a reverse-scoop for six.

The 21-year-old had also put on a similar burst in Perth, when India were bundled out for 150, to tilt the match slightly in India's favor.

However, despite his innings, Australia's pacers ensured that they held advantage early in this second Border-Gavaskar series Test.

Starc puts Aussies on the offensive

Trailing 1-0 in the five-Test series, Australia couldn't have got off to a better start in Adelaide.

With India's prime run scorer in Perth, Yashasvi Jaiswal on strike, Mitchell Starc produced an absolute peach which came back into the left-hander and caught him plumb on the first ball of the Test.

KL Rahul (37) and Shubman Gill (31) then tried to rally following the early loss of Jaiswal, but just as the duo were looking settled in the middle, Starc's last spell before dinner turned the tide in Australia's favor.

Both the batters fell before dinner with the left-armer claiming Rahul courtesy of a sharp catch from Nathan McSweeney.

Boland then, got in on the act to trap Gill right on the stroke of dinner before Starc produced another big breakthrough, claiming the other centurion from Perth in Virat Kohli.

By Dinner, India were reduced to 82/4 after having won the toss and elected to bat first, with the returning skipper Rohit Sharma (1**)* joining keeper Rishabh Pant (4*) in the middle.

Starc then, removed Ravichandran Ashwin and Harshit Rana in the same over to complete his five-for.

At last, Starc rounded off the wicket of Nitish Kumar Reddy to cap off a superb bowling display from the Aussies.

India shuffle the lineup

The return of the captain was one of three changes India made to their XI, with Gill and veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also included in the playing XI as Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel were dropped out.

Australia made one change to the side that lost the series opener by 295 runs in Perth, with Boland replacing fellow quick Josh Hazlewood in the hosts' XI.

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Nitish Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj