Murali Karthik proved his mettle against some of the world's leading batsmen with a heartening performance that fetched him three wickets on Tuesday, the opening day of the third Test against Australia in Nagpur.

He claimed the vital scalps of Darren Lehmann, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne for figures of 3 for 57 that checked Australia's onslaught.

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Included in the eleven because of Harbhajan Singh's indisposition, Karthik's bowling was suddenly the focus of attention as was his 'salt and pepper' hairdo.

"You give your best whenever you play for your country," he said after the day's play.

"Obviously, I have to bide my time out till Harbhajan and Anil [Kumble] are there. I mean, I cannot complain; they have done exceptionally well for India. I have to make most of all the opportunities I get."

Karthik made his Test debut in the 1999-2000 home series against South Africa and last played a Test in Sydney, Australia, earlier this year. He had figures of 0 for 122 and 1 for 89 in that drawn match.

"I wasn't really thinking of that. Every game is different and in Sydney we had a cushion of around 700 runs so we were on the attack, and for some reason they [the Australians] went all out too."

Karthik said it is good to go into a game with "good thoughts" and not negative ones.

"I got to know this morning for sure that I will play. Bhajji wasn't well and we were not sure if he'll play, so I was kept on standby. It's all part and parcel of the game; if somebody turns up unwell, the other guys in the team have to be ready and up for it," he added.

How long will he have to wait to play again before another spinner is forced to sit out because of injury?

 "I can't answer that question, really," he concluded.