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Australia began the fourth Test in Ahmedabad on a strong note against India by dominating the proceedings with the bat on Day 1 (Thursday March 9). The Men in Blue currently lead the series by a 2-1 margin, having won the first two Tests.
Steve Smith won the toss this morning and opted to bat first on a decent batting surface. Indian opening bowlers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav looked rusty and bowled wayward lines in the beginning, allowing the Australian batters to breathe easy initially while facing the new ball. Travis Head (32) took advantage of the erratic bowling and gave Australia a good start by scoring briskly.
He could not convert his start into a big score as he perished in the 16th over, trying to hit a big shot against Ravichandran Ashwin. Shami then cleaned up Marnus Labuschagne (3) as India brought things back under control after a bad start.
Steven Smith (38) and Usman Khawaja (104*) put the visitors ahead with a 79-run partnership for the third wicket. The duo ensured that Australia did not lose any wickets in the second session with their gritty batting display. Ravindra Jadeja cleaned up Steve Smith in the 64th over to give the hosts a much-needed breakthrough.
Cameron Green raced away to 49* during the last 20 overs of the day by accumulating runs briskly against tired bowlers. Khawaja played a glorious knock and reached his century in the final over of the day. Speaking after the stumps, Khawaja reflected on his knock and said:
"Look, there was a lot of emotion in that. I've been to India two tours before this and I carried the drinks all eight Test matches. So, it was a long journey. Finally getting a hundred in India as an Australian, that's what you want to tick off. That is very special.
"It was such a nice wicket, I didn't want to give my wicket away. There were times when I wanted to hit them over the top, which is something I normally do in the sub-continent, but just thought "Nah, today you have to try to get me out". So, it was a mental battle more than anything. You have to put your ego away. "
Fans react after Australia reached 255/4 on Day 1 of the 4th Test vs India
Fans enjoyed the cricketing action that unfolded on Day 1 of the fourth Test today. They expressed their views by sharing hilarious memes on Instagram and Twitter.
Here are some of the best reactions:
