India Blue, after winning the toss and electing to bat first, were in complete command of proceedings at the end of day one of the Duleep Trophy final, hammering India Red to finish at 362/3 at the close of play. Gautam Gambhir (94) and Mayank Agarwal (57) brought up their fourth consecutive 100-run stand. The day, though, belonged to Cheteshwar Pujara (111 not out), who brought up his 33rd First Class hundred, with ample help from Dinesh Karthik (55 not out).

While the batsmen made merry, a part of the blame should also be attributed to the bowlers, who were poor throughout the day. There were a couple of half-chances that Agarwal and Gambhir offered. Karthik, moments after coming on, prodded one to forward short-leg off Amit Mishra, which went begging but it was a difficult opportunity.

The doors remained firmly shut otherwise. The India Red bowlers were too straight, especially Mishra. Kuldeep Yadav was too full and at times, short. Pujara gorged on the bowling attack in front of a Greater Noida stadium that was nearly full, especially on the grass banks.

Agarwal and Gambhir have shown the susceptibility to poke around their off-stump early on. Once the openers got past that tough phase, the runs came thick and fast. After the pacers were blunted out, the batsmen started to throw their willow when the slow bowlers came on.

After dinner, there was turn from middle and leg, with deliveries turning away from the right-handers. Pujara, in fine form, never allowed the bowlers to settle, using his feet to unsettle them.

Stuart Binny broke the Gambhir-Agarwal axis. Agarwal played a lose stroke on the off-side to chip the ball to Shikhar Dhawan at short cover.

It seemed like the India Blue skipper had got a firm footing in the game but he chose the wrong length to play a cut shot, getting a bottom edge and chopping the ball onto his stumps to once again depart in the nineties.

The most disappointing component of India Blue's day was easily that of Rohit Sharma, frustratingly throwing his wicket away. Sharma's innings evoked further bad memories of what his Test career has been so far.

He had survived a scare off Kuldeep Yadav early in his innings, when his loft over mid-on did not carry to the backpedaling fielders. Five minutes later, India Red would have another crack at it as Sharma tried an identical shot and this time, Dhawan barely had to move from his position at extra cover, and took a simple catch.

India Red's woes only increased from there as another in-form batsman, Karthik, came to the crease. The old ball was given a considerable wallop by Pujara and Karthik, who motored along effortlessly in the final session of the day's play.

The Tamil Nadu batsman was severe on the leg side and Pujara, who had crossed his fifty at this stage, had a firm grip on proceedings. Yuvraj Singh tried bringing back his pacers but had no answers to Pujara's all-round strokemaking.

With just two overs left for the close of play, the Saurashtra batter played an immaculate cricket to bring up his hundred. 151 runs came from the final session of the day's play at a run rate of nearly five an over. There may be more bad news for India Red as Pujara announced that he intends to "bat for two more sessions".

Brief scores:

India Blue 362/3 (Cheteshwar Pujara 111 not out, Gautam Gambhir 94, Mayank Agarwal 57; Stuart Binny 1/57) vs India Red.