Usman Khawaja notched up the first century by an Australia batter in the ongoing series against India to help the tourists to 255-4 on the opening day of the fourth and final Test on Thursday in Ahmedabad.
The opener stitched 50-plus partnerships with Travis Head, Steve Smith and Cameron Green to ensure that Australia remain on track for a big first innings total.
Khawaja reached his 14th Test hundred in the final over of the day and remained unbeaten on 104, with the help of 15 boundaries.
Cameron Green was batting on 49 after adding 85 runs with Khawaja for the fifth wicket.
Bowlers have largely remained on top during the series with the first three Tests ending inside three days.
The pitch in Ahmedabad finally brought some relief to the batters and the 61-run opening stand between Khawaja and Head vindicated Smith's decision to bat first.
Head could have been dismissed for seven but KS Bharat dropped a waist-high sitter after the opener had edged Umesh Yadav.
Head, who made 32, kept playing his shots but did not get his timing right against Ravichandran Ashwin and was caught at mid-on by Ravindra Jadeja.
Further success
India tasted further success largely because of Marnus Labuschagne's penchant to occasionally get stuck in the crease.
The right-hander, currently the top-ranked Test batsman, made three before dragging a Mohammed Shami delivery onto his stumps.
Khawaja was joined in the middle by Smith, leading Australia in the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins, who flew home to be with his ailing mother.
The series saw its first wicketless session when Khawaja and Smith combined to deny India a breakthrough in the second segment of the day.
Jadeja ended that 79-run partnership soon after the tea break when Smith, having made 38, presented an angled bat only to deflect the ball onto his stumps.
Shami sent Peter Handscomb's (17) off-stump cartwheeling but Green and Khawaja scored freely.
The morning session crowd included Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after whom the stadium is named, and his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese.
India, who lead the series 2-1, need to win the match to join Australia in the final of the World Test Championship at The Oval in June.
The story includes input from Reuters.