India reached 80 for one after the end of 36 overs on the first day of the third Test against Australia at Melbourne on Wednesday. Debutant Mayank Agarwal made a half-century on debut and was batting on 52 and Cheteshwar Pujara was batting on 14. Agarwal had hit six fours in his composed innings.
Hanuma Vihari, who was promoted to the role of opener, fell for eight runs after facing 66 deliveries. Vihari was caught by Aaron Finch off the bowling of Pat Cummins.
India won the toss and opted to bat first. The Melbourne pitch appeared docile and offered little assistance to the fast bowlers. Indian skipper Virat Kohli felt it would get slower as the match progressed.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and batsman Rohit Sharma returned to the Indian side, while Australia replaced batsman Peter Handscomb with all-rounder Mitchell Marsh. India won the first Test at Adelaide, while Australia levelled the series with a resounding win in the Perth Test.