Steven Finn gave England significant cause for concern as he limped out of the attack with a thigh injury on an awkward first morning of their India tour.
Finn, a key component in England's likely Test attack here, will play no further part on Tuesday and is expected to have a scan to try to identify the source of discomfort in his right leg. The 6ft 7in seamer aborted the second over of his second spell and had to be replaced by medium-pacer Jonathan Trott.
Alastair Cook's initial experience on his first tour as permanent Test captain was therefore a vexing one as Abhinav Mukund (73) took India A to a lunchtime 113 for three in this three-day match at the Brabourne Stadium.
Mukund was the dominant, but far from always convincing, force - making 41 of the first 50 runs and numbering 12 fours in his 57-ball half-century after the hosts won the toss. The majority of his early boundaries came off the edge, but the left-handed opener grew in confidence as England's troubles gathered.
Tim Bresnan had a hand in the first two wickets. First, replacing Finn after his three overs with the new ball, the Yorkshireman was alert, agile and accurate enough - with an under-armed direct-hit - to run out Manoj Tiwary after Mukund called his partner through for a sharp single dropped into the leg-side.
Bresnan stuck to his task as James Anderson took a breather and then Finn went off, and was repaid when he found alarming extra bounce from barely short of a length to have Ajinkya Rahane edging a simple catch off the shoulder of the bat to gully.
Kevin Pietersen, back in an England team for the first time since his summer of discontent and subsequent 'reintegration', did the necessary with a simple catch.
It took another seven minutes, however, for Rahane's dismissal to be confirmed as the umpires - in accordance with new International Cricket Council protocol - ordered what proved to be a laborious check to rule out a no-ball.
Once under way again at last, Bresnan would have had two wickets in two balls had Samit Patel managed to hold on to a sharp, low catch at midwicket.
Instead, Yuvraj Singh escaped the indignity of a golden duck - and went on to punish Patel with two fours and a six over long-on when the all-rounder came on for his first over of left-arm spin. But on the stroke of lunch, England had something to smile about when Mukund fell to a smart catch at short-leg by Ian Bell off Graeme Swann to end a near run-a-ball stand of 56.
