Those three wickets, phew, really saved India on day one of the 1st Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, and now Virat Kohli's men will look to build on the momentum from those late blows when India and Australia resume their battle on Day 2 on Wednesday.
India were staring at a mammoth first innings total from Australia in a belter of an Adelaide wicket as David Warner went about his merry way, with a wicket from Varun Aaron and two from Mohammed Shami with the new ball in the final ten overs turning things around rather well for the visitors.
The score at the end of day one was 354 for six, with Michael Clarke, who was unfortunately forced to retire hurt with a back injury while on 60, a major doubt. The skipper has received injections to his back and Australia are hopeful Clarke can at least make it to bat in the first innings of the second Test for now.
The injury was exactly the kind of thing that everyone around the team was afraid of heading into the first Test. But, there will be nobody more disappointed than Clarke at having to retire hurt, with the captain desperate to make a hundred for his "little brother" Phil Hughes.
"Everyone was working together with the same thing in mind to try to get Michael recovered and fit and ready to play," Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland told ABC Radio after seeing his captain break down.
"There may well have been some slightly different views about what was best in terms of preparation, but really that's all a moot point now.
"Things have moved on, we've seen the extraordinary and tragic circumstances of Phillip's death and we hope Michael's OK and he's back on the ground very soon.
"It's always a worrying sign when the Australian captain's carrying any sort of injury. We'll leave it in the capable hands of [physio] Alex Kountouris and he can weave a bit of magic overnight perhaps."
While the worrying bit of day one was Clarke, there is no doubt who the day belonged to. Warner (145) was a delight to watch, zooming along like he was playing a one-day match, with the left-hander paying tribute to his great mate Hughes, not only after reaching 63, but also after completing what was a more than well-deserved hundred.
"It was quite tough early on there with the 63-second applause and getting through the national anthem that set me off a bit inside," Warner told Channel Nine. "I played with a lot of adrenaline there but really had to pull it back after I got going.
"Being there on the day it happened it was quite tough, the memories are still stuck in my head. But I spoke a lot to Michael Lloyd our psychologist, and the support from everyone has been amazing."
While Warner was the star of day one, Steven Smith could be the hero for Australia on Day 2, with the team's first innings fortunes resting on the right-hander, who is batting on 72. India will need to get Smith out as quickly as possible, otherwise Australia could post a bigger-than-they-would-like total.
Where to Watch Live
Get Day 3 Live Streaming Information HERE
Get Day 3 Live Blog HERE
Get the Live Blog for Day 2 HERE
Day One of the Test match is set to begin at 10.30 am local time (11 am AEDT, 5.30 am IST, 12 am GMT, 7 pm ET) with live TV coverage in India on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3 (in Hindi) and Star Sports HD2. Viewers in India can also watch the Test match in Adelaide via live streaming online on Starsports.com.
Catch Day 2 match action live in Australia on Channel 9, while viewers can also live stream all the action on Cricket Australia Live or the Cricket Australia Live App.
Viewers in the UK can watch the action live on Sky Sports 2, while the live streaming option is on Sky Go or Watch Sky Sports. Audience from the USA can catch the game on Willow TV or live stream the match on Willow TV Online. Viewers in the Middle East can watch the match on OSN or live stream online on OSN Play.
