#INDvAUS 4th Test: Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav does the trick for India

As India took the field on Saturday morning, the debate centred more around the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav than India captain Virat Kohli sitting out due to a shoulder injury in the series-deciding final Test against Australia.

The general feeling was that the Indian think-tank had probably made a mistake by including the novice chinaman bowler on a wicket which, though looked firm, was expected to assist bowlers with the progression of game.

The one good aspect about the first day of the final Test was that there was no unnecessary attention towards the quality of the 22 yards, as was the case since the first Test in Pune.

India's second tactic of replacing Ishant Sharma with Bhuvneshwar Kumar to take advantage of the swinging conditions looked to be spot on, with Bhuvi inducing an outside edge off David Warner of the very first ball of the match but which was spilled by a napping Karun Nair at third slip.

Umesh Yadav soon made up for the initial folly by removing the in-form Matt Renshaw in his first over. Warner made India pay for the life in the first session, as he along with his skipper Steve Smith not just steadied the Australia ship but also scored at a brisk pace to take control of this crunch game by notching up 131/1 in the first session.

But that's when Kuldeep came in, and turned the game around on its head in the afternoon. The debutant finished with figures of 4/68, and led his much-illustrious teammates off the field after the innings.

In the end, a relieved India bundled out the visitors just before the close of first day's play for 300 before the Indian openers survived the one over before stumps. Relieved, for the 134-run partnership between Warner and Smith had threatened to take the game, and indeed the series, away from the hosts on the first day itself.

The Aussie skipper, in particular, looked in tremendous touch and never faced any difficulty while facing all the five Indian bowlers. The only bowler he chose not to attack was the newcomer Kuldeep. And for good reason.

Belonging to a rare breed of left-arm wrist-spinners, the 22-year-old from Kanpur started creating a web around the Aussies after the lunch break, first removing Warner on 56 after being brilliantly caught at first slip by stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane.

Kuldeep knew that the Indian team bosses had taken a huge gamble by including him at the expense of a specialist batsman. But that didn't seem to bother him. The youngster was as confident as any other seasoned player in the team and left an indelible mark on the minds of the Aussie batsmen as well as cricket pundits in his first outing at the big stage.

After seeing all his four more experienced bowlers being taken to the cleaners by Smith and Warner in the morning, Rahane turned to Kuldeep just before lunch. And the rookie didn't disappoint his skipper.

His 19th delivery started the opposition downfall, Warner failing to pick his length and getting caught at slip. Smith went on to score his third century of the series but not before watching two of his partners – Peter Handscomb (8) and Glenn Maxwell (8) – succumbing to the new sensation of world cricket. In between that mini-collapse, Shaun Marsh was absorbed by Umesh for a paltry four.

The Aussies should thank wicketkeeper Matthew Wade for helping them reach the 300-run mark. If not for his timely 57, the visitors' total would've gone from respectable to disastrous.

Kuldeep showcased the entire range of variations in the armoury by removing all the three top Aussie batters using three different skills. If Warner was deceived by his top spinner, then Handscomb got a perfect orthodox delivery. But the best was when Maxwell saw a wrong one breaching his defence and shattering his off stump.

Pat Cummins (21) was Kuldeep's fourth victim as he tempted him to go for a lofted straight drive only to be caught behind.

The impact of Kuldeep was such that after lunch, the Australians slumped to 178/5 from a comfortable position of 144/1. But Wade waged a lonely battle towards the end to set a respectable total for his bowlers and salvage his captain's hard work.

Smith's seventh hundred in his last eight Tests against India was a work of precision. During his 173-ball stay at the wicket, the Aussie skipper never let any Indian bowler dominate him. Warner's first half-century of the series was in stark contrast, not even half as convincing as what one would have expected from the attacking southpaw.