Davidson took copious amounts of capsulin, and he took his position in what was known as the "Battle of the Ridge" due to the presence of a ridge on the surface that yielded erratic bounce. He exploited this in the first innings, beating Raman Subba Row three times in the first over and striking Geoff Pullar in the shoulder. He then bowled Pullar and struck Ted Dexter twice in the chest. Dexter then hit a ball to short leg but was dropped. Davidson then removed Peter May and Barrington before ending with 5/42 as Australia dismissed the hosts for 206 to seize the initiative. Davidson credited the performance to the capsulin, which flowed into his lower body and in his own words, put his "backside on fire".