BRISBANE: Skipper Steve Smith and Mitchell Johnson pummelled India's bowlers to seize the initiative as Australia amassed a 95-run innings lead in Brisbane in the second Test on Friday.
Smith claimed his second ton of the series and Johnson a swashbuckling 88 off 93 balls to put Australia in the box seat to win the Test and take a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.
Smith and Johnson shared in a ground record 148-run stand to take the steam out of the Indians, who held a 187-run lead at the start of the third day.
At tea, Mitchell Starc (51 not out) and Josh Hazlewood (31 not out) continued India's agony with a frustrating 49-run last-wicket partnership with the Australians 503 for nine.
Johnson's game-changing innings came to an end short of his second Test century when he was caught behind off Ishant Sharma for 88 off 93 balls.
The all-rounder cracked 13 fours and a six to push his team to the brink of an innings lead after coming into bat with Australia trailing by 161 runs.
Smith followed five balls later when he was finally dismissed in the series for 133.
He inside-edged Sharma onto his stumps to end a 303-minute vigil. It had taken India 704 minutes to finally get Smith's wicket over three innings.
Smith scored 162 and 52 in last week's Adelaide Test win and continued to be the bane of the tourists with another defiant knock.
Starc took up the cudgels and smacked 51 runs off 57 balls to propel the home side in front and put the pressure back on the tourists.
Smith, who took over the captaincy after Michael Clarke injured his right hamstring in the first Adelaide Test, was the fifth Australian skipper to score a century in his first Test as captain.
Monty Noble, Clem Hill, Lindsay Hassett and Greg Chappell all scored hundreds in the first innings of their debut Test as skipper with Chappell the last against the West Indies at the Gabba in 1975.
India began the third day well with two wickets inside the opening hour but Johnson's lusty hitting quickly swung the game Australia's way.
India's tactics of sledging and bowling short to Johnson back-fired as it only served to energise him and take to the bowling.
The dramatic turnaround came after the dismissals of Mitchell Marsh and Brad Haddin inside the first hour of play.
Marsh did not offer a shot and was bowled for 11 by Ishant Sharma, probably expecting a higher bounce.
Speedster Varun Aaron grabbed a big wicket with a vicious throat ball on the first delivery after drinks that Haddin could only fend away to bat-pad where Cheteshwar Pujara took an easy catch for six.
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