Steven Smith led the way with a magnificent century on his captaincy debut while Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc struck counter-attacking fifties as Australia gained a 95-run first-innings lead over India in the second cricket Test here today.
At tea on the third day at the Gabba, Australia reached 503 for nine in 109 overs. India had scored 408 runs in their first innings. After Smith and Johnson departed for 133 and a 93-ball 88 respectively, Starc was batting on 51 and giving him company was debutant Josh Hazlewood on 31.
After lunch, Smith and Johnson started off again to try and push the visitors back even more. India took the second new ball as soon as it became due. But it had little effect on the attacking duo at the crease who raised the highest ever seventh wicket stand at this ground.
The 148-run partnership, coming off 26 overs, was finally broken in the 88th over as Johnson edged behind to Mahendra Singh Dhoni off Ishant Sharma (3-117). He smashed 13 fours and one six, and might have changed the game completely over.
It was a double-blow for Australia in that over as Smith was finally dismissed for the first time in the series, playing on to his stumps. The young skipper faced 191 balls, hitting 13 fours and two sixes.
Even as the 400-run mark came up in the 89th over, India would have hoped that the rest of the tail-enders would provide little resistance. But they were proven wrong by a 56-run ninth wicket stand between Starc (51, 57 balls, six fours) and Nathan Lyon (23). The visitors' attack that had looked quite impressive on day two was now reeling under the tail's onslaught as this pairing too added their runs at a fast clip.
Umesh Yadav (3-101), Varun Aaron (2-145) and R Ashwin (1-126) all failed to impress even as Starc-Lyon scored at 6.72 runs per over.
It didn't help that Starc was dropped by Yadav off his own bowling in the 91st over, the batsman on 17 not out at that time. Eventually Lyon offered a chance to Rohit Sharma at mid-on and the fielder latched on to it. Starc though kept batting, reaching his fourth Test fifty off 53 balls in the 106th over.
He added a further 49 unbeaten runs for the last wicket with Josh Hazlewood as the 500-run mark was crossed in the 108th over of the innings, even as the session was extended by half an hour on account of the last pair being at the crease.
