Scott Boland has helped Australia to a strong position with India five down on day one in Adelaide after the seamer delivered a dramatic opening over upon Test return.

The Gulidjan quick had a couple of chances go down, a batter recalled to the crease and the wickets of Shubman Gill and Indian skipper Rohit Sharma inside the first 30 overs of his first Test in 18 months.

With the first ball of his opening spell he sent KL Rahul walking back to the stands caught behind, before the third umpire spoiled the party.

It was Australia's second having conceded little after a Mitchell Starc yorker had Perth centurian Yashasvi Jaiswal out LBW with the first ball of the match.

What seemed the faintest of edges to 'keeper Alex Carey had the Adelaide Oval crowd in ovations, asking no questions of the field umpire with Rahul on his way.

However on review, Boland's left foot had come down with nothing behind the crease to turn a first ball wicket into an extra.

Hot spot, though it wouldn't have mattered, registered no noise as the pink ball passed the bat.

Boland's fifth (legal) delivery again caught Rahul's edge, though Usman Khawaja couldn't hold on to a diving effort at first slip.

Runs began to tick over for India with Rahul and Gill at the crease, before three wickets fell for 12 runs over 16 deliveries towards the end of the opening session.

Boland had his first when he hit the base of Gill's front pad to see India slump to 4-81.

He had earlier gone close to claiming Virat Kohli's wicket, the veteran slashing just wide of gully.

India went to tea at 4/82.

In his second over after the break, Nathan McSweeney dropped another chance when Rishabh Pant edged Boland to the cordon.

Before the end of the over, Boland had Rohit Sharma out LBW, ball tracking suggesting the ball would have hit the top of middle stump.

India were 6-112 at the time of publication with Nitish Kumar Reddy (10 from 21) and Ravichandran Ashton (0 from 3) at the crease, with Boland's figures reading 2-28 (11).