Aus vs Ind Test 2 Day 3: India solid after Australian tail wags for long

Brisbane: India knocked off 71 runs after Australian skipper Steve Smith's century on captaincy debut and fifties from Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc helped the hometeam to first inning's lead of 97 on the third day of the second Test against India in Brisbane on Friday.

Here is how the action unfolded on day three.

The Johnson-Smith duo continued to score at brisk pace after the lunch break. While Johnson was a bit lucky when Ishant misjudged a catch at third-man, Smith was at his fluent best.

However, Mitchell Johnson's plan to score his second Test hundred were dashed when Ishant got him out on 88. In the same over, the tall pacer dismissed Steve Smith after a well-made 133 on his captaincy debut.

(Photo: AP)

India though failed to wrap Australian inning as Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon attacked the visitors' bowling attack to take Australia's total past 450. The duo threw their hands at everything that was pitched up.

While Nathan Lyon departed after scoring 23, the man on debut Josh Hazlewood joined Starc as the pair frustrated Indians with scoring freely. Starc, who failed to impress, with his bowling made up with his second Test fifty against the Indians.

With Australia 9 down before tea, the umpires opted to delay the break. However, with the visitors failing to end last wicket stand, the tea was taken. Fortunately for India, Ashwin dismissed Starc in the first over after tea. But not before he with other tailenders stretched the Australian lead to 97.

The Indian openers then batted sensibly with in-form Murali Vijay scoring majority of runs. Although a bouncer from Johnson smashed him once on his left shoulder, he looked at ease with pace and bounce.

But Vijay's 'whether to leave or play' approach did him in when he misjudged one with steep bounce from Mitchell Starc and got bowled dragging it onto the stumps.

Mitch Starc was PUMPED after that one! LIVE: http://t.co/NaGNJAi0VK #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/kNjpAUtliT

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) December 19, 2014

Although Dhawan was tested by Watson and Hazlewood, he managed to survive and accompany Pujara as India ended day three on 71/1, 26 runs behind of Australia's lead.

Earlier, Australia resumed on 221-4 in reply to India's tally of 408 but it was the tourists who claimed the upper hand in the first hour with Mitchell Marsh and Brad Haddin sent back to the dressing room by some fine pace bowling.

Johnson stopped the rot in no uncertain fashion with a pugnacious unbeaten 67 in 53 balls to share a seventh-wicket partnership of 104 with Smith, who brought up his sixth test century with his 10th four just before lunch.

Smith, deputising for the injured Michael Clarke for the remainder of the series, was 110 not out at the break having scored 324 runs since last being dismissed after unbeaten innings of 162 and 52 in the first test victory in Adelaide.

The partnership took Australia to within 57 runs of India's score little more than an hour after it looked like they would face a big first innings deficit.

Marsh, hampered by a hamstring injury sustained on Wednesday, had added just four runs to his overnight score of seven when he left an inswinger from Ishant Sharma only to see the ball crash into the top of his off stump.

Don't look back Mitch... LIVE: http://t.co/NaGNJAi0VK #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/7cRP9X8gLO

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) December 19, 2014

Haddin was fortunate to survive two lbw appeals in the first four balls he faced and rarely looked comfortable before departing for six when he fended a short Varun Aaron delivery straight to Cheteshwar Pujara at short leg.

Here's the Haddin dismissal. Meanwhile, captain Steve Smith has moved to 83*. LIVE: http://t.co/NaGNJAi0VK #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/5edlFfZD4s

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) December 19, 2014

Johnson, fired up by some sledging from the tourists, then clubbed the bowling around a ground where he has a batting average of more than 30, hitting one six and 10 fours in a belligerent knock.

Australia won a dramatic first test in Adelaide by 48 runs last weekend to take a 1-0 lead in the series, which was rejigged after the death of Phillip Hughes and concludes with tests in Melbourne and Sydney.