India imploded on the field and are crying foul off it after a dramatic day when relations between the two sides were further strained.

The Indians worked themselves into a huff and puff as Mitchell Johnson blew the visitors' house down, but were in the process of self-destructing before a ball had been bowled on Saturday.

Already unhappy with the menu on offer at the Gabba, the visitors were incensed after Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli were injured batting on the practice wickets before play.

The Indians believe the "uneven bounce" on the "worn out wickets" was responsible for the injuries to Dhawan's wrist and Kohli's forearm.

While Kohli was able to take his customary position at No.4, opener Dhawan retired hurt, unable to resume his innings at the start of play. The impact of his absence was exacerbated by a disastrous batting collapse in which the Indians lost six wickets during the first session.

So swiftly were wickets falling, the Indians were forced to delay X-rays on Dhawan's right wrist as he was needed out in the middle.

Dhawan returned with the score on 6-117 and top scored with 81 but could not lift India out of their deep hole. That he batted so well will only have infuriated India further, leaving M.S. Dhoni's men wondering what might have been had he not been hurt.

The Indians had asked for fresh pitches to be produced on Thursday but were told by Queensland officials that was not possible at such short notice. They then asked to use the pitches being prepared for the Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Stars but they are not ready for use until Tuesday.

Fairfax Media understands it is not common practice for fresh pitches to be produced during a game.

The indoor nets at the Gabba were open at the time.

A furious Board of Control for Cricket in India issued a statement on Saturday morning, attacking Queensland Cricket.

"[The] Indian team has been asking for the fresh net practice wickets several times for last two days which has not been provided," a statement from the BCCI said.

"Instead of that, they have [been] asked to practise on worn-out wickets which has uneven bounce.

"Because of that, two of our batsmen got injured today morning. One of the two batsmen, Shikar Dhawan, had a right wrist injury.

"Because of that he was unable to bat in the morning. He is being examined by our physio."

Ryan Harris had earlier batted on the practice wickets against a fired-up Ben Cutting, who is proving his fitness after injury, and said he had no issues.

Ground staff around the country try to prepare net pitches that mirror conditions in the middle.

The issue rose as more spot fires appeared on the field. Dhawan was involved in a long discussion with the Australians as players left for lunch.

On Friday, a provocative Kohli celebrated animatedly near Shane Watson after the batsman's dismissal.

The Indians were already dissatisfied with the Gabba catering, which led to two players, Ishant Sharma and Suresh Raina, eating their lunch outside the venue on Friday.

Unhappy with the lack of vegetarian options, they asked for food to be delivered from a local restaurant.

However, outside food and drink are not allowed into the venue. Passers-by were bemused by the sight of two international cricketers in their creams eating take-away on the steps outside a Vulture Street entrance.

The menu is agreed upon by both national boards well before the series and signed off as part of a memorandum of understanding.