Renshaw was unbeaten at lunch on 37 with opening partner Joe Burns 19 not out, but that was as far as they got on day one of the Sheffield Shield clash.
Stumps was called more than an hour before the scheduled close with the Bulls 0-61.
The visitors won the toss and bowled. Renshaw was confronted with overcast skies, a pitch with a green tinge and a quality pace attack.
It was just the test the Australian selectors would have wanted for Renshaw and he started his innings with aplomb.
It was tough early with pace bowler Jhye Richardson finding his groove on return from a dislocated shoulder.
Renshaw left the ball well, rotated the strike nicely with Burns and played one sumptuous pull shot through midwicket to the boundary off Liam Haskett.
He had the demeanour of a man prepared to settle in for a long innings.
The 27-year-old is vying with Western Australia's Cameron Bancroft and Victoria's Marcus Harris to replace David Warner at the top of Australia's order for the opening Test against the West Indies in January.
Warner will retire after the third and final Test against Pakistan in Sydney.
Renshaw will not be hanging his hat on a gritty 30-odd and with the forecast improved for the final three days of the Shield match he has the opportunity to post a big century.
The three Shield games in progress that stated on Tuesday are the last of the calendar year but Renshaw, Harris and Bancroft will all get another key opportunity to impress Australian selectors next week when they represent the Prime Minister's XI against Pakistan in Canberra.
