With a spot in the final of the World Test Championship at stake, India chose the most inopportune time to endure their worst day in a home Test for more than two years. A slew of errors with the bat and a plethora of avoidable mistakes in the field have left them so far behind the eight-ball at the Holkar Stadium after Day One that Australia will feel they are in with an outstanding shot at narrowing India’s series lead to 2-1 ahead of the final Test in Ahmedabad.

India’s travails against the turning ball are no longer a surprise, nor is their propensity to welcome little-known opposition spinners with a rash of wickets. If it was Steve O’Keefe who benefitted from their munificence in Pune six years back, fellow left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann too filled his boots on a dramatic Wednesday that dawned with Rohit Sharma winning his first toss of the series and ended with the visitors 47 in front with six wickets standing.