India is firming on Travis Head's cricket horizon, with the South Australian captain grinding out his first Sheffield Shield century of the season.
Head led the way with 130 as the Redbacks dominated day one of their Shield final rematch against Victoria at the MCG.
Bushrangers captain Cameron White thought he had good reasons for sending in SA, but the tactic backfired badly.
The unbeaten Bushrangers had their worst day of the Shield season and SA reached 5-360 at stumps.
Opener Jake Weatherald scored 88 and Tom Cooper was 93 not out.
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Head has already made his Australia T20 and one-day debuts this year and has been retained in the squad for next month's three one-dayers against New Zealand.
With the Test team in a state of flux, if Head can maintain his form, he is a hot chance to be picked for the February tour of India and a potential five-day debut.
"Look, all I can do is keep getting runs," Head said when asked about the India squad.
"I haven't thought that far ahead.
"Until today, I hadn't got a hundred ... I'd gotten a lot of starts.
"I wasn't thinking about it all and I'm still not."
Head has scored 310 Shield runs this season at an average of 62.
He had to knuckle down against the strong Victorian attack, especially when SA were stumbling at 4-133.
But he absorbed the pressure with aplomb and his 188-run stand with Cooper for the fifth wicket gave SA control.
"It's weird - today wasn't the greatest I've felt out of all the innings I've played," he said.
"I'm really pleased in the way I ground out the innings today.
"It took me a while to get going, but I knew if I soaked the balls up and took the pressure ... then it was going to release at some stage and, luckily enough today, it worked."
Head said SA would probably have batted had they won the toss.
White thought Victoria could take advantage of overcast conditions on Saturday morning.
He was also mindful of Queensland's day-one collapse earlier this month at the MCG.
But White was left lamenting a bad day's work, with Scott Boland (3-90) the only multiple wicket taker.
"I just thought if it (the wicket) was going to have anything in it, it was going to be in the first session," White said.
"I had the first session of Queensland's game in the back of my mind as well.
"It makes me look a bit silly now."
The glaring disappointment for SA was Test discard Callum Ferguson, who was dismissed for five.
That is Ferguson's top score from his past six innings.
But Head is adamant his form will soon turn.
"It wasn't long ago he got a hundred in Perth and looked a million bucks, so not many concerns on that front," Head said.
Victoria led the Shield ladder and SA were second heading into this match.
