Vijay's century almost forgotten, even by him

The excitement of an eight-wicket final session and a masterful century from Virat Kohli meant Murali Vijay's 234-ball vigil on the last day of the recent Adelaide Test went largely unnoticed.

For over two sessions on Saturday, Vijay defended, glanced and glided Australia's attack around the Adelaide Oval to a point where both his fifth Test century and one of India's greatest ever victories were within reach.

Unfortunately for the 30-year-old, neither was meant to be.

He was dismissed for 99 eight overs into the final session, trapped in front by Nathan Lyon with a delivery similar to the one that would have sent Vijay on his way 71 runs earlier had the DRS been available.

Vijay's dismissal sparked a collapse of 8-73 and a defeat by 48 runs, an outcome that had seemed unlikely when he and Kohli had moved India to 2-242, just 122 runs away from victory.

Today, the opener again went about his work with such little fanfare that when he brought up three figures with a beautifully-timed drive to the cover boundary, even he didn't notice.

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As the crowd of 15,542 stood to applaud the first touring player to score a century on the first day of a Gabba Test, Vijay nonchalantly inspected the pitch and walked towards his batting partner Ajinkya Rahane.

It was only after a few quick words from his teammate that Vijay turned to look at the scoreboard and, upon realising his achievement, removed his helmet and raised his bat to receive the congratulations of his teammates in the viewing area at the Vulture St End.

"I knew I was close to my hundred, but I didn't know how much I needed to get,' Vijay said after play.

"It's good in a way that I didn't see my score because I got out on 99 in the last game.

"Last match I was aware of it and I didn't get it. This match I was not aware and I got it.

"So I think that works."

Like in Adelaide, Vijay had some luck during his innings; he was dropped twice by Shaun Marsh, on 36 and 102.

But aside from those slices of good fortune, he looked assured as he again defended, glanced and glided his way to an innings of 144 that steered the tourists to an imposing 4-311 at stumps on day one of this second Commonwealth Bank Test.

And with Vijay in the position where he had to set up the game rather than win or save it, he smashed 22 of the 34 boundaries that were scored in the day, none better than a forceful pull stroke in the final session off a tiring Josh Hazlewood.

He played shots all around the wicket; delicate glances, powerful drives - both in the air and along the ground - and one slashing cut shot over backward point.

One of the few Indian batsmen better known for a solid defence than an array of attacking strokes, Vijay showed his wares as a one-day player in the final session by clearing his front leg and whacking a Hazlewood delivery back over his head, a boundary that brought up the opener's 2000th Test run.

It was this attacking intent late in the day, and a lack of concentration, that finally cost Vijay his wicket after 213 balls at the crease; he charged Nathan Lyon and got a thin outside edge to Brad Haddin, who duly whipped off the bails to make sure of the dismissal.

It was Vijay's fourth hundred in eight matches against Australia - taking his average against them to a touch under 70 - and his second hundred for the year after he posted 146 against England at Trent Bridge.

A second Test hundred overseas, a rare feat for an Indian batsman, underlined the right-hander's development in 2014.

And unlike a lot of his predecessors, Vijay said he enjoyed playing at the Gabba, which produces pitches so bouncy that bowleds and lbws are almost as rare as Indian centuries.

"The ball was not coming to off stump very often. Everything was going over my head and around my chest," Vijay said.

"It's much easier to leave on a bouncy track than a wicket like Adelaide. It was a very different position."