David Warner scored an emotional century and Chris Rogers fell just short of triple figures himself as Australia piled on the runs during the first two sessions in Sydney. Their 200-run opening stand came at a brisk rate and entertained the Sydney crowd for three hours before both men fell in consecutive overs, either side of a drinks break.
By tea, the Australians had moved on to 2 for 242, with Steven Smith on 28 and Shane Watson on 10, and Virat Kohli was still searching for answers on a good batting pitch offering little in the way of spin, swing or seam. Smith especially looked like carrying on the work of Warner and Rogers and had struck four boundaries, including a lofted drive over long-on off R Ashwin to get off the mark.
He had come to the crease after Rogers played on and gave Mohammed Shami a breakthrough, the frustration evident on Rogers' face as he walked off having missed another chance for a century. His past five Test innings have all brought half-centuries but his most recent hundred came in Port Elizabeth in February, and the conditions in Sydney appeared perfect for another.
Warner had fallen in the previous over, out for 101 when he tried to turn Ashwin to leg and instead popped a catch up to M Vijay at slip. Australia's total at the time was 200 and it was the first double-century opening stand by an Australian pair in a Test since Warner and Ed Cowan put on 214 at the WACA against India three years ago.
Warner's 12th Test hundred had arrived from 108 deliveries with a pull through square-leg for four off Shami, and his now traditional leaping celebration followed, as well as a look up to the sky. It had been an emotional innings for Warner, back at the SCG where he had ridden on the motorised stretcher with his friend Phillip Hughes after Hughes was struck down by a bouncer in November.
But the hundred was not the most poignant moment; earlier Warner had moved to 63 with a single just before lunch. He removed his helmet and gloves and got down on the ground to kiss the turf beside the pitch where Hughes had fallen. Hughes will forever be 63 not out, and Warner was too at lunch.
He had reached his half-century from just 45 deliveries but generally was in control, going after anything loose from the Indians, and there were plenty of opportunities. His century featured 16 boundaries, including a well-struck reverse sweep off Ashwin. He also had moments of luck, notably an inside edge past leg stump early in his innings and a cut that lobbed centimetres short of KL Rahul at point.
Rahul had retained his place despite his inauspicious debut in Melbourne, but things didn't get any better for him in Sydney. He was stationed at second slip when he dropped a regulation chance off the bowling of Shami to give Rogers a reprieve on 19, and next ball Rogers slashed a cut for four through point.
Rogers played confidently and was especially impressive when driving on the front foot. After lunch he continued to move the score along at a decent rate, driving straight back down the ground off the fast bowlers and pulling and cutting well. The century stand was the sixth between Rogers and Warner from only 31 innings together at the top of the order.
They were operating against an inexperienced India line-up - for the first time since September 2001 India were playing a Test with no members of their side having more than 50 Test caps to his name. Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma were all left out, along with the retired MS Dhoni, and Bhuvneshwar, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Wriddhiman Saha came in.
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