Australia took the upper hand in the fourth Test against India on an emotional first day at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The final Test of this series was always going to be an emotional affair after Phillip Hughes lost his life after being hit in the neck by a bouncer while playing for South Australia at the SCG in November.
And while tributes to Hughes were paid all around the ground, his countrymen managed to keep their focus on the pitch as a century from David Warner helped guide Australia to 348 for two at the close.
Warner had been in the middle when tragedy struck and was clearly intent on paying tribute to his friend as he set about scoring at a blistering pace after Steven Smith had won the toss.
Both Warner and Chris Rogers were finding the boundary with relative ease but Rogers was fortunate when Mohammed Shami's delivery took his edge and went to second slip where Lokesh Rahul put down a routine chance.
Rogers sent the next ball crashing to the boundary to bring up the Australia fifty in the eighth over.
The 37-year-old was outscoring his more naturally flamboyant partner at that point, but three consecutive fours moved Warner to the brink of his half-century and he brought up the mark in just 45 balls.
Warner then paid tribute to Hughes by kissing the pitch when he had reached 63 – the score Hughes had reached before being struck – before Rogers brought up his own fifty off 91 deliveries as the hosts got to lunch on 123 without loss.
The lunch break did not halt the momentum and Warner raised his century with a boundary, leaping into the air before kissing his helmet and looking skywards.
The 200-run partnership came just two deliveries before Warner departed for 101, edging Ravichandran Ashwin to Murali Vijay at gully to end his 12th Test century and third of the series.
Rogers was gone in the next over when he chopped Shami onto his stumps to fall for 95, the fifth consecutive innings he had made 50 but failed to go on to three figures.
That meant that India had the chance to get at two fresh batsman but Smith and Shane Watson easily saw the hosts through to the close of play, with the pair bringing up half-centuries in good time as India toiled at the end of the day.
Thanks everyone for your kind messages. Big day ahead tomoz. Fingers crossed for Watto and @stevesmith49#keepplayingwell
— David Warner (@davidwarner31) January 6, 2015