Smith and bowlers subdue India

In the usual round of pre-series predictions, many expected Steven Smith to be a dominant batting force against India, and some were bold enough to reckon he would be captain before the four Tests were through. But none had prophesied that it would take Mitchell Johnson until the series' eighth day to make a significant impact on events, nor that he would be doing so with the bat.

Smith's 133 was emblematic of his growth as both a batsman and leader: not since Greg Chappell against West Indies on this ground in 1975 had a first-time Australian Test captain marked the occasion with a hundred in his first innings. Johnson's boldest of counterattacks showed how dangerous he can be as a batsman, but also that it may have been wiser for India not to antagonise him when he walked to the wicket with Australia in some trouble at 6 for 247.

Their partnership of 148 in a mere 26 overs changed the course of the match, also clearing a path for Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood to prolong Australia's first innings until after tea. The final four wickets contributed more runs than the first six, opening up a lead of 97. India were bereft of ideas for stemming the flow, and when they finally batted Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara survived some searching spells in the evening session to go to stumps at 1 for 71.

A century in his first Test as captain underlined Smith's quality as a leader, his sixth hundred in 13 matches since notching No. 1 against England at The Oval in August 2013 sustaining Australia's innings. But Smith had needed help: the Australians were teetering when Johnson joined his captain. Indian attempts to get into the fast bowler's head with short balls and verbals appeared only to spur Johnson into a starburst of strokes, and he looked bound for a second century until snicking Ishant Sharma behind.

Ishant and Varun Aaron had bowled morning spells that were respectively precise and hostile. Ishant deceived Mitchell Marsh with a break-back after the hamstrung allrounder shouldered arms, and Aaron pinned Brad Haddin with a bouncer that delivered a catch to short leg.

Aaron's success with the short ball prompted him to step up the assault against Johnson, and he earned a warning from the umpire Ian Gould for excessive use of the bouncer. Virat Kohli also stepped in to antagonise, and these exchanges appeared the catalyst for a spiky Australian response.

Johnson prospered first with the pull shot before expanding his repertoire grandly, upper cutting over the slips then driving sweetly down the ground. Smith made slightly more sedate progress towards his hundred, but reached the mark with a nifty cut behind point. At lunch the partnership was worth 104 in 83 brazen balls and the deficit a mere 57.

The rate of scoring slowed somewhat in the afternoon as Dhoni applied a little more pressure, but it was a surprise when Johnson was dismissed by an Ishant delivery slanted across him - the sort of line and length India should have committed to when he first arrived. Smith departed soon after, dragging another well-pitched Ishant delivery onto the stumps, but Starc, Lyon and Hazlewood were eager for more.

Nos. 9 and 10 added 56 at better than a run a ball, and after Lyon was pouched at mid-on, Hazlewood notched his first Test runs with a sturdy enough drive down the ground. Starc exhibited few of his bowling insecurities with the bat. By the time a late tea was taken he had a half-century, and had gone a long way to compensating for some indifferent spells in the first innings.

Those runs also appeared to rouse Starc into a better frame of mind for bowling. He found a far more consistent line and was rewarded when an indeterminate M Vijay dragged onto the stumps when trying to leave a well-directed ball of decent pace and bounce. Shane Watson swung the ball and might easily have had a wicket in a fine late spell. Smith, oddly, did not call on Lyon's offbreaks before the close.