LIVE: Aussies crumble in Nagpur nightmare as bold selection ...

Australia is in strife in the first Test against India in Nagpur, bowled out for 177 following the loss of 8-93 in the space of just 28 overs.

In reply, India is 0-38 after 11 overs with Rohit Sharma (32) and KL Rahul (5) at the crease, while Pat Cummins was hit for 0-23 from his first three overs.

Having won the toss, Australia lost 2-2 early, but recovered to 2-84 thanks to Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne digging deep in the first session.

However, Labuschagne was stumped for 49 shortly after lunch, triggering a massive eight-wicket collapse across the next 28 overs.

Australia’s scorecard featured three ducks, three scores of just one, and a six.

It’s score of 177 is Australia’s lowest in the first innings of a Test match since November 2016.

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MATCH CENTRE: India vs Australia, first Test, live scoreboard

‘HARD TO BELIEVE’: Aussie legends fume at baffling selection bombshell

Usman Khawaja (1) was dismissed LBW in the second over by an inswinger from Mohammed Siraj. The ball appeared to be travelling down leg side and the umpire gave it not out, but ball-tracking deemed that it was narrowly pitching and hitting in line, and going on to hit leg stump.

Not everyone agreed.

The following over, Mohammed Shami also found some movement off the deck to beat David Warner’s defence and bowl the opener for 1.

Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne were forced to work hard to stop the rot — but Australia was nearly three-down in the ninth over when the former was struck on his pads, but was just outside the line.

“That’s another example of this game racing into oblivion,” Matthew Hayden said in commentary.

Smith survived the scare, and was also dropped by Virat Kohli at first slip when he was on six, to make it to lunch.

Labuschagne batted brilliantly to lead the Australian fightback and leave the Indians searching for answers despite its strong start.

But the right-hander suffered a brain fade after the break, with Ravindra Jadeja beating his outside edge and debutant KS Bharat whipping off the bails as his back foot slid out of the crease.

Former Test batter Mark Waugh was guilty of the dreaded commentator’s curse, having said the previous delivery: “He’s been one of the biggest finds in world cricket I think in the past few years. To average 60 now in Test cricket, he’s come a long way in a short space of time.”

Labuschagne was stumped for 49, bringing Matthew Renshaw to the middle, but the left-hander couldn’t survive one delivery.

Jadeja trapped Renshaw on the front pad, returning to the sheds for a golden duck — a review couldn’t save the Queenslander.

That left Smith to save the Australians, but Jadeja dismissed him, too, for 37 off 107 with a ball that went on with the arm and through the right-hander’s gate.

Alex Carey provided some resistance in a counter-attacking display, with the left-hander sweeping, and reverse sweeping with intent.

Ironically, it was the latter that brought about his demise for 36 runs off 33 with Carey reverse sweeping Ravichandran Ashwin straight back onto his stumps.

Pat Cummins also fell to Ashwin with an outside edge going straight to Virat Kohli at first slip. Todd Murphy then didn’t trouble the scorers before being given LBW for Jadeja’s fourth.

The final two wickets saw Australia’s final hope, the re-called Peter Handscomb dismissed by Jadeja for 31 to cap off his five-wicket haul, while the collapse was complete with Ashwin bowling Scott Boland for one.

Jadeja finished with 5-47, and Ashwin 3-42.

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TEAMS

India XI: Rohit Sharma (capt), KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

Australia XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Scott Boland

SESSION TIMES (AEDT)

First session: 3pm-5pm

Lunch: 5pm-5.40pm

Second session: 5.40pm-7.40pm

Tea: 7.40pm-8pm

Third session: 8pm-10:00pm (approx.)

LIVE BLOG

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Earlier, Twenty-two-year-old Todd Murphy’s selection was confirmed at the toss, won by Australia captain Pat Cummins who elected to bat first.

Murphy partners Nathan Lyon, making it the first time Australia has used two specialist off-spinners in a Test match since 1988. The last Victorian spinner to make a Test debut before turning 23 was Shane Warne.

In the biggest selection shock, however, Peter Handscomb has replaced in-form batter Head, who has historically struggled in Asia, but enjoyed an outstanding summer in which he averaged 87.50.

He comes out instead of fellow left-hander Matt Renshaw, who, like Handscomb, has experience in India having toured in 2017.

Ashton Agar has also been left out of the XI with selectors resisting the temptation to pick three spinners despite both captains noting the Nagpur pitch’s dryness.

Instead, Scott Boland partners Cummins, playing his first Test outside of Australia.

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India named two debutants of its own with white ball gun Suryakumar Yadav and KS Bharat being handed caps.

As the countdown to the First Test enters its final hours, drama continues to boil over India’s extremely unusual pitch preparation – with curators treating different parts of the wicket in significantly differing fashion.

The pitch will play a significant factor in Australia’s selections as a 35-year first looms, while opener David Warner is mulling a shocking switch to potentially bat right-handed in response to the conditions.

PITCH DRAMA ROLLS ON

Selectively watering parts of the pitch, deploying the roller only in specific areas: India’s methods of curating the Nagpur pitch have raised plenty of eyebrows in recent days. It appears to be a clear ploy to give bowlers an advantage against left-handed batters – with five of Australia’s top seven lefties, compared to just one Indian batter.

It was labelled “straight-up pitch doctoring” by veteran writer Robert Craddock in recent days, though India great Ravi Shastri hit out at claims his nation was ‘cheating’ by declaring “That’s bulls**t.”

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Australian cricket journalist Peter Lalor told SEN radio today: “Even in 2004, the wickets weren’t as extreme as they are these days.

“India seems more determined every tour to make wickets that are going to make the Aussies uncomfortable, or any visitor uncomfortable.

“I’ve got to say, I’ve never seen a pitch preparation like what they’ve done here in Nagpur.”

But Australia captain Pat Cummins has tried to downplay the drama, saying the team is ‘embracing the chaos’ and the unique challenges of playing away from home – but saying the pitch was ‘custom made’ for India.

“Embracing the chaos. These series always throw up different challenges on the field or off the field, and embracing it is what makes these tours so special,” Cummins said.

“That’s part of the challenge of playing away. Home teams want to win at home. In Australia, we’re lucky we’ve normally got pace and bounce. Home match advantage, I don’t think it’s a terrible thing. It’s another challenge and makes touring over here even harder when you know the conditions are custom-made for them.”

WARNER’S SHOCKING PLOY

David Warner is a left-hander. It's worth mentioning, since he’s been spotted in the nets batting right-handed. He’s reportedly told teammates he will go rightie in the Test – likely when coming up against India’s two left-arm orthodox spinners in Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.

If so, it would be a staggering ploy. But Warner once batted a full season of junior cricket right-handed and played brilliantly.

His biggest concern might not even be a left-armer though, with Ravichandrin Ashwin having claimed Warner’s wicket 10 times in just 15 Tests.

The Australian opener’s record in India is tough reading – an average of 24.25 across 16 innings (eight Tests across the 2013 and 2017 series). He has three half-centuries with a top score of 71.

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IS KOHLI VULNERABLE?

He’s one of the greatest Indian batters of all time – and a brilliant captain to boot – but Virat Kohli might have a minor ‘vulnerable’ area that Australia can take advantage of.

Former captain Michael Clarke told SEN radio: “Virat hasn’t got a weakness, but I think starting against spin bowling he’s more vulnerable than batting in Australia, starting against the quicks … I think spin makes him play every single ball and brings in (multiple dismissal options).

“I think spin early to Virat is a great option.”

Nathan Lyon has had particular success against Kohli, picking up his wicket four times at an average of 23.25. Compare that to Australia, where Kohli has plundered 317 runs for three wickets to Lyon (an average of 105.66).

Lyon has a similarly strong record against Cheteshwar Pujara in India – five wickets at 35.20, compared to five wickets at an average of 69.00 at home.

If Lyon is given an early chance against the pair, it could prove decisive – especially on a pitch that looks set to turn from the start.

Lyon has played 24 Tests in Asia for 118 wickets at an average of 32.28. He will join the great Shane Warne on 25 matches today, needing nine wickets to equal Warne's record for the most wickets in Asia by a non-Asian spinner.