"A dream season for Natarajan" - Twitter reacts to an absorbing day between India and Australia at the Gabba
Team India have a little catching up to do in the fourth Test at the Gabba, as the first day ends with Australia in the driver's seat.
The visitors' inexperienced bowling attack managed to pick up five wickets on the day. The Aussies scored 274 runs, thanks to a brilliant hundred from labuschagne" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Marnus Labuschagne and an unbeaten 61-run stand between Cameron Green and skipper Tim Paine.
India debutants T Natarajan and Washington Sundar were among the wickets, bagging three scalps between them.
There were mixed reactions from India fans on Twitter after the first day. Here are few of their opinions on the key events from the day.
Fans hail T Natarajan after an impressive first day in Test cricket
Labuschagne had added 113 crucial runs with Matthew Wade for the fourth wicket. At 200-3, Australia looked in complete control of the game.
Just as they were trying to up the ante, left-arm pacer T Natarajan struck twice in two overs, removing both well-settled batsmen with short-pitched balls.
The dream start to Natarajan's international career continued as he brought India right back into the game. Here is what twitterati had to say about the 29-year-old's performance:
Fans praise Washington Sundar after his performance
A lot of questions were raised about the selection of all-rounder Washington Sundar ahead of a specialist spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the lineup.
However, it is safe to say that the youngster has done well on his Test debut so far: he was economical throughout the day and picked up the prized wicket of Steve Smith.
Fans on Twitter enjoyed Sundar's performance and also credited Ravichandran Ashwin for helping the youngster. Here is what they had to say:
Fans rue Team India's dropped chances
Marnus Labuschagne was given a couple of lives by India once again today. The 26-year-old has been riding his luck throughout the series.
The visitors gave Labuschagne multiple reprieves on the first day, including an absolute sitter dropped by stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane at gully.
This time, Labuschagne made sure India paid for their mistakes, notching up his fifth Test hundred.
Shardul Thakur also dropped Cameron Green later in the day, making a meal of a simple caught and bowled chance.
Fans were not impressed by India's fielding on the day and feared the drops could cost them the Test. Here is what they said:
Fans react as Navdeep Saini gets added to India's long list of injuries
India's ongoing injury woes continued into the fourth Test, as fast bowler Navdeep Saini complained of a groin strain and was taken for scans, reports of which are still awaited.
Saini was looking threatening on the Gabba track with his extra pace and bounce. Losing him would be a big blow for India at this point, as they might have to work with only four bowlers for the rest of the Test.
Frustrated by India's injury woes, some fans were upset with BCCI's player management. They questioned whether the authorities monitor the workload of the players properly.
Here is what the fans had to say: