Travis Head’s dashing century put Australia in a strong position against India on Wednesday’s opening day of the World Test Championship final at The Oval.

Head came in with Australia struggling at 76-3 after India captain Rohit Sharma had won the toss in overcast conditions and on a green-tinged pitch that favoured a four-man pace attack. But left-hander Head put the pressure back on the bowlers from the start of his innings, with 24 of his initial 27 runs coming in boundaries.