The start of day two in Australia’s tour match against India A in Chennai has been delayed by overnight rain.
An inspection by the umpires was due at 1500 AEDT with the home team to resume at 4-338 thanks to a classy century from skipper Gautam Gambhir.
The dumped Test opener blasted 13 fours and three sixes in making 112 and was particularly brutal on left-arm spinner Ashton Agar, who only made his first-class debut for Western Australia last month.
It’s fair to say a fired-up Gambhir felt he had a point to prove to India’s selectors, and Agar soon became the 54-Test veteran’s whipping boy.
The 19-year-old Agar was introduced to the bowling crease in the first over after lunch at Chennai’s Guru Nanak College Ground. Left-hander Gambhir helped himself to two consecutive sixes during Agar’s first over to bring up his half-century.
By stump on day one of the three-day game, Agar had 0-78 off 13 overs.
Gambhir added 128 for the second wicket with Rohit Sharma (77) while Manoj Tiwary is not out 77 with CM Gautam unbeaten on 34.
Agar’s fellow left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty claimed 3-69 on day one while offspinner Nathan Lyon took 0-97 off 20 overs.
“It was a learning curve for all of us. It was very tough when the quality of players like Gambhir and Rohit come quite hard at us,” Doherty told AAP.
“We (spinners) all struggled a little bit and Ashton being the youngest struggled a little bit as well.
“He certainly bowled some good overs and it wasn’t all doom and gloom and as bad as the numbers suggested.
“It’s just one of those days you put down to a learning experience.”
Pacemen Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle bowled tightly and seam-bowling allrounder Moises Henriques continued his strong push for a Test debut on February 22 by taking 1-20 off 11 overs.
Even though it was a first-day pitch, conditions were spin-friendly.
The surging form of Henriques could tempt Australia’s selectors to pick two quicks and two spinners for the first Test.
“As long as I was bowling well, I was going to come into their (selectors’) minds,” Doherty said.