Australia’s top order batsmen made valuable contribution to gain the upper hand on a treacherous pitch on the first day of the second Test against India in Perth.

A century opening partnership after captain Tim Paine won the toss and elected to bat set the stage for the Aussies on a challenging pitch at Test cricket’s newest venue. Openers Marcus Harris (70) and Aaron Finch (50) added 112 for the first wicket while there were important knocks from Shaun Marsh (45) and Travis Head (58).

At stumps on a scorching day, the home side were 277-6, with Tim Paine on 16 and Pat Cummins on 11. A crowd of 20,746 braved the searing heat on the first day of Test cricket at the new Optus Stadium.

Australia’s total is already looking more than enough on a wicket where balls took off from good length and also bounced dangerously low.

India paceman Ishant Sharma briefly left the field late in the day with an apparent side issue, and variable bounce will only get worse on the second day when the tourists come into bat.

India were forced to take the field without ace spinner Ravi Ashwin and batsman Rohit Sharma. The Indians sprang a surprise by bringing in seamer Umesh Yadav instead of the more reliable Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Batsman Hanuma Vihari chipped in with two wickets, which took some pressure off India with Ishant and Umesh not nearly effective enough.