Chennai, Feb 22 : Captain Michael Clarke scored a magnificent century to rescue Australia from a struggling position after Ravichandran Ashwin snared all six top-order batsmen to leave the visitors reeling at 153/5 at one stage of the day one of the Chennai Test against India.

Australia was battling at one stage, but Clarke''s unbeaten 103, which included 11 fours and one six, ensured the tourists ended the day at 316/7 at stumps. At one stage, it looked as if Australia would not even get close to the 300 mark, but Clarke, along with debutant Moises Henriques, made sure that the visitors are in a comfortable position after a mid-day wobble.

The debutant Henriques impressed in his first innings with the bat, scoring five boundaries in his 132-ball 68. Clarke also crossed 7,000 runs in Test cricket in the process, and a few minutes prior to lunch, Ashwin, who ended the day with six for 88 runs, took his inside-edge, which was scooped up by backward short leg.

All of India''s fielders surrounding the batsman went up in unison, but umpire Kumar Dharmasena didn''t see the edge. Earlier, in the first session, Australia got off to an aggressive start after electing to bat first, but lost two wickets in the process. The visitors took lunch at 126 for two with David Warner bringing up a well paced fifty (59). (ANI)