Starc claims Kohli for a duck as Australia take upper hand against India

Wasn’t this Test match supposed to be all about the spin bowlers and the havoc they would cause?

No-one told Australian pace duo Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood about those plans as they ripped through the Indian top order in the first Test at Pune.

Virat Kohli didn't bother the scorers. (Fox Sports)

After Hazlewood claimed the early wicket of Murali Vijay, Starc turned the match on its head by taking two wickets in three balls – including the prized scalp of Virat Kohli for a duck.

Claiming the wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara lifted the spirits of the visitors, but the slips catch claimed by Steve Smith to dismiss Kohli gave Australia a huge boost.

Kohli flashed at a wide ball and only serve to give Smith a regulation catch.

The three wickets claimed by the Australian pace duo came a day after Indian seamer Umesh Yadav snared four wickets in the tourists’ first innings.