Spin duo Nathan Lyon and Steve O'Keefe face the toughest challenge of their careers to bowl their side back into the game after Australia's struggles with the bat in India continued in the first Test on Thursday.
More Cricket Videos
Renshaw's emergency exit
Matthew Renshaw hurried from the field in bizarre circumstances with an upset stomach.
Opener Matt Renshaw overcame an upset stomach to lead the way with an impressive 68 on debut on the subcontinent but it was slim pickings for the rest of the line-up until Mitchell Starc crunched a whirlwind half-century nearing stumps.
While there was an air of the same old, same old with the day one performance, this was not the embarrassing and shambolic display that has been associated with Australia's recent visits to this region of the world.
![Matt Renshaw rushed off the field following the dismissal of David Warner.](/web/20170224084424im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/j/w/8/x/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gujw15.png/1487850504303.jpg)
The crusty Pune wicket has already produced "craters", drawing spin great Shane Warne to liken the pitch to Mars, and offered prodigious turn to the Indian spinners.
It would be only fair to afford a degree of leniency to Australia's batsmen but after reaching stumps on 9/256 they will need to do everything right from here if they are to snap their nine-Test losing streak in Asia.
They will want more given India's recent domination with the bat at home but they encountered much friendlier wickets when they were amassing scores well in excess of 500.
Despite the spin-friendly conditions, it was the pace of Umesh Yadav that inflicted the most damage. Yadav claimed the important wicket of Warner among his bag of four then ripped through the tail.
This will be encouraging for Australia, who believe the pace duo of Starc and Hazlewood have influential roles to play this tour.
The pressure, however, will be firmly on the spinning fingers of Lyon and O'Keefe, who will be expected to make a sizeable impact on the second day. At the very least, Lyon and O'Keefe will be expected to keep the scoring down.
Ravi Ashwin provided their blueprint. The offie has mesmerised Australia in the past and though he was not unplayable he still managed to remove Smith and the resolute Renshaw. Combined with a frugal economy rate of less than two an over, it was another fruitful day in the dust bowl for the world's No.1 bowler.
Australia had good reason to believe a much better scoreline was attainable after Renshaw and Warner survived the best part of the first session for a stand of 82.
Warner's dismissal changed the feel of the game, bringing two new batsmen to the crease. Not only was he gone, he was followed immediately off the field by Renshaw, who needed to use the toilet.
Renshaw came under fire from Allan Border, who believed the opener should have held on for the final 15 minutes to lunch.
"I hope he is lying on the table in there half dead. Otherwise as captain I would not be happy," Border said on Fox Sports.
But in fairness to Renshaw, his options were limited. Had he given up his wicket due to a loss of focus because of his condition would have been a waste, while relieving his stomach cramp on the field would have been far from ideal too.
The drama overshadowed Renshaw's valuable contribution at the top of the order. Despite doubts as to whether he had the game to prosper in India, Renshaw showed poise in the testing conditions.
So too did the rest of Australia's top five - but not for long enough. They were far from clueless though Smith and Warner will be kicking themselves for their careless dismissals.
There will be concerns over the selection of Mitch Marsh at six after he was trapped in front for four though he will have the chance to atone with the ball.