India 51-4 at lunch and in trouble in 1st cricket test against Australia after winning the toss

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India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal leaves the field after losing his wicket to Australia’s Mitchell Starc during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

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Australia’s Josh Hazlewood collects the ball as he prepares to bowl during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

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Australia’s Josh Hazlewood celebrates with teammates the wicket of India’s Virat Kohli during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

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India’s Virat Kohli bats during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

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Australia’s players celebrate the wicket of India’s Virat Kohli during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

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Australia’s Mitchell Starc prepares to bowl during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

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India’s Dhruv Jurel bats during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

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Australia’s Josh Hazlewood, facing the camera, celebrates with teammates the wicket of India’s Devdutt Padikkal during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

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India’s fans react to the camera as the wait for the first cricket test between India and Australia to begin in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

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India’s Virat Kohli warms up before the start of the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

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Australia’s Mitchell Marsh, right, walks up to teammate Josh Hazlewood to celebrate the wicket of India’s Virat Kohli during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

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Australia’s Josh Hazlewood celebrates the wicket of India’s Devdutt Padikkal, second left, during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

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Australia’s Nathan Lyon fields the ball during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

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Australia’s players celebrate the wicket of India’s KL Rahul during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

By IHITHISHAM KAMARDEEN

PERTH, Australia (AP) — India was teetering on 51 for four at lunch on the opening day of the first cricket test against Australia after the visitors’ decision to bat first Friday on a grassy Perth Stadium pitch appeared to backfire.

Left-arm swing bowler Mitchell Starc (2-10) and Josh Hazlewood (2-10) took the wickets of openers Jashasvi Jaisval (0), K.L Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal (0) and star batsman Virat Kohli (5) to leave India ruing its decision to bat.

Just before the lunch break Australia successfully referred a catch behind to remove opener Rahul who batted stubbornly to score 26 runs with three boundaries.

Opening the batting in the absence of Rohit Sharma, Rahul on 19 completed 3,000 test runs in his 54th test match. Rahul was undone by another delivery that bounced as Starc snared his second wicket with his second delivery into his second spell.

Rishabh Pant, on 10, and Dhruv Jurel (4) were set to resume batting after the lunch break.

Starc in particular was unplayable in his opening five-over spell during which he had lefthander Jaisval caught at gully by test debutant Nathan McSweeney.

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Scoring runs was not easy on a pitch that offered bounce and sideways movement to Starc and Hazlewood, who claimed 400 test wickets between them to become the first Australian new-ball pair to achieve that feat.

Only four pairs of Australian opening bowlers have taken 200 or more wickets between them sharing the new ball. Starc and Hazlewood (402) are followed by Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie (376), Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller (243) and McGrath with Brett Lee (214).

Hazlewood, who was rested after a three-over burst, returned to the attack to replace Starc and in the space of 15 balls removed Paddikal and Kohli.

Padikkal survived 23 balls as he repeatedly played and missed against Starc before Hazlewood had him caught behind by wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

Two over later, Kohli, having arrived at the crease to the thunderous applause from a record opening-day crowd for a test at the Perth Stadium, was surprised by a Hazlewood delivery that bounced disconcertingly and flew off the shoulder of the bat to first slip Usman Khawaja.

India capped 21-year-old fast bowler and allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and fast bowler Harshit Rana, 22, for the opening test that is missing Sharma (paternity leave) and Shubman Gill, who has a broken finger.

The teams will play a five-test series, with later matches scheduled for Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Australia and India are one-two in the World Test Championship standings.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket