Ashwin, Head, Warner and Bharat: The big talking points from a fascinating first day

We take a look at some of the big talking points from an intriguing opening day at The Oval.

Runs are expected to come at a serious lick in this English summer, and Australia’s Travis Head is exactly the sort of attacking batter capable of taking Tests away from the opposition.

There are four days of this WTC Final remaining, but Head may just have done precisely that to India, coming out at 76/3 and counterattacking right from the off to give Australia the upper hand after day one at The Oval.

Head’s 146* is his fourth-highest Test score and his first Test ton away from home, and his huge partnership with Steve Smith may turn out to be the defining combination of this winner-takes-all match, albeit with plenty of time left for India’s batters to return in kind.

India probed at a weakness in Head's game more and more as his innings progressed, targeting him with short-pitched deliveries angled into the body to tuck him up.

The approach had Head in a spot of bother, but ICC pundits Ricky Ponting and Nasser Hussain were among those who suggested that India waited far too long to pull their lengths back.

The pair believe that a spell of full-pitched bowling when he first came to the crease allowed Head to rack up quick early runs and get himself in.

When you leave out the top-ranked Test bowler in the world you best have a good reason, and this is now the sixth successive Test in England that has seen India opt to leave Ravichandran Ashwin on the sidelines, so it’s safe to say that the selectors have made their call.

Whether the decision, in this case, is the right one or not remains in the balance, with India’s seamers taking three wickets early in the day under cloud cover at The Oval. But they perhaps didn't make the most of the assistance before sunshine took over midway through the day’s play.

Ashwin left out as India opt for four quicks; Australia XI as expected

It was the last ICC WTC Final that persuaded India that two spinners in England was not the way to go, with Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja proving less useful than ideal in the swinging conditions in Southampton two years ago.

And a green tinge to the pitch at The Oval and potential for some more disruptive weather over the weekend means that picking four seamers this time around could yet be seen as India having learned from their mistakes.

But should the pitch begin to take some turn heading into the weekend, then India may yet come to regret not having India’s second-highest all-time wicket-taker in their armoury for this one.

England has not been a happy hunting ground for David Warner in recent years, but the Aussie opener had one of his better outings of late, helping see off the new ball in a tough opening session that he very nearly survived, only to be caught down the leg side shortly before lunch.

Warner’s 43 was his second-highest score in England since 2015, and only the third time in his 11 innings in that period that he has managed to reach double figures.

So although it wasn’t the milestone knock that he would have wanted to get Australia off to a great start on this era-defining tour, it does at least offer some encouragement for Warner ahead of the second innings of this WTC Final and the Ashes beyond.

KS Bharat is the better wicketkeeper, Ishan Kishan is the better batter, and India’s decision to stick with the former received early justification at The Oval.

Keeping in England is a very different skill set to many other parts of the world, with so much movement coming after the ball has passed the batter.

But Bharat revealed before this WTC Final that he received tips on playing in England from none other than the legendary MS Dhoni, and he used those lessons to great effect with a brilliant catch to remove Warner.

MS Dhoni offers advice to KS Bharat ahead of WTC Final

Warner’s edge down the leg side kept on swinging away from Bharat, but his excellent footwork and athleticism saw him cling on low to his right off Shardul Thakur.

It was an outstanding piece of cricket, and Bharat certainly knew it, tearing off in celebration.

The task now will be for Bharat to chip in with some runs from No.7 when India come out to bat in their first innings.