Skipper Michael Clarke overtook Don Bradman’s tally of 6996 runs as Australia recovered from a middle-order collapse to reach 5-215 at tea on day one of the first Test against India.
Clarke is unbeaten on 45, showing a mastery of the spinners on a crumbling first-day Chennai pitch offering sharp turn.
Debutant allrounder Moises Henriques is on 29 after sharing a 62-run partnership with Clarke, the two coming together after Australia had lost 3-27 after lunch to be 5-153.
The tourists had been well placed at the first interval after winning the toss with David Warner making a rapid 59 despite carrying a fractured thumb injury into the match.
Warner had added 64 for the first wicket with Ed Cowan (29) who was stumped off the bowling of Ravi Ashwin.
The offspinner has claimed all five wickets to fall to boast figures of 5-51.
No.3 Phil Hughes was lbw to Ashwin for six.
Ashwin threw Australia’s middle order into disarray by removing Shane Watson lbw for 28 in the first over after lunch. The ball may have struck the pad outside the line of off stump, but without the decision-review system in this series Australia weren’t able to call for a video review.
In his next over, Ashwin trapped Warner lbw with a full-length delivery.
Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade (12) was Ashwin’s third lbw victim at 5-153.
Clarke appeared fortunate on 39 when a bat-pad appeal from Ashwin was turned down.
The skipper, who began the series seven runs behind Bradman’s 6996 runs, became the 10th Australian player to reach the 7000-mark with a cut shot to the point boundary off the bowling of Harbhajan Singh (0-71) who was struggling to make an impact in his 100th Test.
Australia attempted to put off-field security tensions to one side on Friday.
Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland spent the night before the match in talks with the Indian board following twin bomb blasts in Hyderabad which claimed the lives of at least 20 people.
“At this stage I wouldn’t be calling into question things going ahead in Hyderabad as planned,” Sutherland said.
The second Test starts in Hyderabad on March 2.