Snubbed by the selectors, Rohit Sharma (105) unleashed his pent-up frustration on the Australian bowlers, while Virat Kohli too raised his stake with an identical ton as Board President's XI finished day one of the warm-up match on a respectable 371 for six wickets in Hyderabad on Thursday.
Losing three quick wickets in the morning session put the local favourites in a spot of bother but Rohit forged a 61-run stand with his skipper Yuvraj Singh (29) to stem the rot before plundering another 146 with Kohli to wrest the opening day honour.
Rohit's effervescent 105 off 144 balls was studded with 12 boundaries and four sixes. Kohli's identical 105 was the product of his 146-ball stay in the middle, during which he hit 14 boundaries and a six before falling to Brett Lee following a dubious leg before decision.
Parthiv Patel (49 not out) also made hay and was one run away from his half-century while Irfan Pathan was not out on 17 when stumps were drawn.
The visitors were sans all-rounder Shane Watson who had been laid low by viral fever.
The onus was on Aakash Chopra (25) and Wasim Jaffer (19) to vindicate Yuvraj's decision to bat first on a strip that promises a run-feast and they did not start badly either. Occasional discomforts notwithstanding, they went on to put together 41 runs before Stuart Clarke removed Jaffer.
Mitchell Johnson then trapped Chopra too and 10 runs later, S Badrinath (2) fell to Peter Siddle, leaving the side reeling at 59 for three.
Yuvraj Singh (29) and Rohit did the bail-out act with aplomb and with two strokeplayers in the middle, the sparse crowd at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium was treated to some delectable shots right out of the top drawer.
Yuvraj drove with elegance and timed his shots to perfection but eventually fell to an ugly dismissal which once again exposed his utter discomfort against rising deliveries.
Johnson banged one short and Yuvraj decided to pull it before abandoning the plan altogether. It was too late by then and the ball ricocheted off his blade and lobbed behind for Michael Hussey to take the dolly.
Rohit, meanwhile, had other plans. He treated off-spinner Jason Krejza with utter disdain and chose Clarke for special treatment.
After negotiating Clarke's first three balls of the 38th over with utmost caution, Rohit followed up back-to-back fours with a soaring six to fetch his fifty off just 68 balls.
Rohit's ton also came in spectacular fashion. Back-to-back sixes took him to 98 and after a pause, a straight driven four off Michael Clark fetched his century off just 137 balls. A mistimed pull off Johnson eventually brought his peril but by then, Rohit had made a statement with the bat.
Kohli too joined the party and was particularly harsh on Krejza, suggesting what future has in store for the rookie offie in the forthcoming Test series.
An airborne Ricky Ponting almost caught Kohli at midwicket when the batsman was on 77 but Kohli had the fortune of brave and brought up his century with a gorgeous cover drive off Lee.
Scoreboard:
Board President's XI 1st innings:
Aakash Chopra lbw b Johnson 25
Wasim Jaffer c Johnson b Clark 19
S Badrinath lbw b Siddle 2
Yuvraj Singh c Hussey b Johnson 29
Rohit Sharma c Krejza b Johnson 105
Virat Kohli lbw b Lee 105
Parthiv Patel not out 49
Irfan Pathan not out 17
Extras: (B-4, LB-8, NB-8) 20
Total: (For 6 wkts in 89 overs) 371
Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-49, 3-59, 4-120, 5-266, 6-328.
Bowling: Lee 12-3-30-1; Clark 15-3-58-1; Johnson 20-4-62-3; Siddle 11-2-41-1; Krejza 20-1-123-0; Clarke 11-0-45-0.
