India A captain Manoj Tiwary and wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha steadied their ship after a shaky start to end Day 1 at 304/6 in the first of the four-day matches against Australia A at the Allan Border Field here Sunday.
Tiwary's knock of 83 took the visitors closer to the 200-mark before getting out while Ojha, unbeaten at 82, anchored the innings batting lower down the order to take his team beyond 300.
Tiwary won the toss and elected to bat on a good batting track but pacer Ben Cutting (2/65) struck within the first hour, trapping Lokesh Rahul (15) leg before.
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh (2/46) chimed in with quick two wickets in consecutive overs (Robin Uthappa 23, Ambati Rayudu 0) and India A headed into the lunch break, reeling at 76/3.
However, the Indian side consolidated after lunch with a 134-run partnership between Jiwanjot Singh and Tiwary. Cutting made the breakthrough and took the only wicket for the second session - Singh (56) - getting him caught down leg-side by Sam Whiteman before the visitors went to tea at 187/4.
Spinner Cameron Boyce (2/84) took the first over after tea and had an immediate impact with his second ball. Tiwary went after a well-flighted delivery and missed, to be sharply stumped by Whiteman for a good knock off 118 balls.
Boyce snared his second wicket in the last over before the new ball and had Karun Nair (26) caught in the deep by a diving Chris Lynn.
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At the close of play, the not-out batsmen were Ojha (82) and Dhawal Kulkarni (12).
Brief scores: India A 306/4 (Manoj Tiwary 83, Naman Ojha not out 82, Jiwanjot Singh 56; Mitchell Marsh 2/46, Ben Cutting 2/65, Cameron Boyce 2/84).