Khawaja dropped, Marsh Bros recalled

Australia dropped Usman Khawaja from the Test team and recalled Shaun and Mitchell Marsh to the XI for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India in Pune.

A tail-end cameo from Mithcell Starc and a gutsy knock from opener Matthew Renshaw saw the pair each post half-centuries to help Australia beyond 250 on the opening day of first Test.

Renshaw shook off a stomach complaint that forced him to sprint from the field to anchor Australia's first innings, while No.8 batsman Starc swung lustily with the tail to add his ninth career Test fifty.

Australia finished the first day at 9-256 with Starc unbeaten on 57 and Josh Hazlewood on 1. The pair have so far put on 51 for the 10th wicket.

Four wickets for Umesh Yadav pegged back the tourists in the final session as a promising start threatened to peter out for little more than 200.

Renshaw departed for 68 midway through the final session, having spent 32 overs off the field after retiring ill 15 minutes before lunch. His dismissal left Australia at 7-196 in the 79th over.

That quickly became 9-205 as Yadav claimed Stephen O'Keefe courtesy of a brilliant flying catch by wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha who flew at full stretch to his right to pluck the catch one-handed. Nathan Lyon departed next ball, trapped in front, and had his dismissal confirmed by the third umpire after calling for a review. Josh Hazlewood survived the hat-trick ball that passed safely down the leg side.

Renshaw had become Ravi Ashwin's second wicket, snapped up at slip by India captain Virat Kohli for his third catch of the day to end 156 balls of resistance.

Renshaw was involved in dramatic scenes at the fall of Australia's first wicket just before the lunch interval as he tried to rush off for a toilet break, only to be called back by the umpires, before eventually being allowed to scamper off. 

He returned near the end of the second session at the fall of the third wicket and picked up where he left off, looking assured as he posted a half-century in his first Test innings on the subcontinent, reaching 50 from 124 balls with seven boundaries and a six.

Australia had lost two wickets in two overs just before tea but were spared a third after Mitchell Marsh used the Decision Review System to overturn his dismissal on the first day of the opening Test.

But Marsh was unable to capitalise on the reprieve, falling after tea for 4 from 18 balls, leg before for Ravindra Jadeja's second wicket having missed a straight ball.

Peter Handscomb was given out leg before to Jadeja for 22 and Steve Smith followed in the next over, caught by Kohli off the bowling of Ashwin.

Marsh was given out caught behind off his second ball against Ashwin, but immediately called for a review, with the third umpire discovering there was clear daylight between bat and ball, with the delivery striking the Aussie allrounder well outside the line on the back leg.

Smith had added 27 from 95 balls before he departed as Australia slipped to 4-150.

Renshaw's earlier retirement came at the moment David Warner was the first Australia wicket to fall, bowled off the inside edge for 38 from 77 balls. That dramatic turn of events put Smith and Shaun Marsh together with neither having faced a ball.

The pair added 37 together before Marsh fell into Kohli's leg-slip trap to be Australia second wicket midway through the second session of day one.

Kohli had only just moved a leg-slip into position when Marsh missed an attempted sweep shot and was unlucky to get a touch on the ball in the follow through that popped straight into the India skipper's hands via the back of his bat 

It left Australia 2-119 in the 47th over of the opening day of the Qantas Tour of India Test series that had seen the tourists batsmen offer stubborn resistance against India's spin onslaught.

Marsh departed for 16 from 55 balls to be Jayant Yadav's first wicket.

Warner was the first Australia wicket to fall in the 2017 Border-Gavaskar series, but not before setting a solid foundation for the tourists with an 82-run opening stand in Pune.

Australia reached lunch at 1-84, but there was dramatic scenes just before the break when both openers departed suddenly.

After Warner was bowled, Renshaw followed his opening partner to the sheds, suffering the affects of an upset stomach and having to run from the field and retire ill.

Quick Single: Renshaw retires after Warner departs

Renshaw was first halted by the umpires, before scurrying into the dressing rooms, and will be able to resume his innings later, which has been halted on 36 from 89 balls.

It meant suddenly that Steve Smith and Shaun Marsh were at the wicket together, neither having faced a ball.

Warner departed for 38, from 77 balls, having seen off the spin onslaught for 26 overs across an hour and 45 minutes. 

There was more drama earlier, with a huge no ball from Jayant Yadav costing India a wicket, after Warner had his stumps broken by the illegal delivery on the stroke of drinks in the first session.

Australia reached the first drink breaks at 0-40 with Warner unbeaten on 20 from 40 balls and Renshaw (15 from 57) making a cautious start against India's spin attack on a dry Pune pitch.

Australia dropped Usman Khawaja from the Test team with Shaun and Mitchell Marsh recalled to the XI for the first Test.

Smith won the toss for Australia and elected to bat first on a wicket that Shane Warne labelled akin to an "eighth-day wicket" before Renshaw and Warner opened the batting.

The seam-bowling allrounder Mitchell Marsh comes into the side for Hilton Cartwright, who made his Test debut in Sydney against Pakistan, but was not selected for the Qantas Tour of India.

The replacement of Khawaja for the elder Marsh brother, Shaun, is symptomatic of the "horses for courses" selection policy Australia first raised following last winter's Test series defeat in Sri Lanka.

Marsh has an impressive record in Asia, with three previous Tests – all in Sri Lanka – yielding two centuries, one fifty and an average of 78.6.

Khawaja's batting average from four Tests in Asia is 19.16, but his form in recent months has been far more impressive. The left-hander was the top-scorer in Australia's home series against South Africa, hitting a career-best 145 when the new-look XI snapped a five-Test losing streak in Adelaide.

It makes an interesting turn of events from December 2015, when Marsh had scored a career-best 182 against the West Indies in Hobart but was then dropped for the following match, on Boxing Day at the MCG, for Khawaja's return from injury.

The Australia bowling attack was as widely predicted, with a two-pronged pace attack of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood supported by Marsh, with Nathan Lyon and Stephen O'Keefe the slow-bowling options.

Australia spin legend Shane Warne said the Pune surface "resembled a day-eight wicket" before the toss.

"I don't think I've ever seen a pitch that dry to start with for day one," Warne told cricket.com.au.

"It looks like a day-eight pitch before a ball has been bowled. It hasn't been watered for four days apparently."

"It's dry, phew, I think it's going to be a quick (Test match)."

India made one change from the team that beat Bangladesh in a one-off Test match by 208 runs earlier in February: off-spinner Jayant Yadav comes in for quick bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the home side opted for three slow bowlers.