A record-breaking partnership between Mitchell Johnson and Steve Smith has given Australia a first-innings lead of 97 runs in the second Test.

Smith scored 133 in his first Test as captain, while Johnson belted 88 off 93 balls and counterattacked India clinically at the Gabba.

The pair shared a 148-run stand on Friday, lifting Australia to a total of 505.

It is the highest seventh-wicket partnership at the venue in a Test.

Smith and Johnson both fell to Ishant Sharma in the 88th over, but Mitchell Starc ensured Australia moved well past the tourists’ first-innings total of 408.

Starc (52) fell to the fourth ball after the tea break, which was delayed 30 minutes as the tourists fruitlessly pushed for the final wicket required.

Smith’s knock was the best effort by an Australian on captaincy debut since Warwick Armstrong’s 158 in the second innings against England in 1920.

Smith, who suffered a minor quad strain last month in a one-dayer, batted in a degree of discomfort and had his left quad strapped during a drinks break.

The 25-year-old led the team admirably in the absence of hamstrung Michael Clarke, with Smith’s series average now 347.

However, it was Johnson who took the game away from India.

Australia started day three on 4-221 and India’s pacemen Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav quickly asserted their dominance.

The runs dried up, with Mitch Marsh and Brad Haddin both dismissed in the first hour.

Australia were 6-247 and the tourists verbalised their confidence – Virat Kohli among a handful of chirpy players welcoming Johnson to the crease.

“They’ve fired up the wrong bloke here. Don’t do it to Mitchell Johnson,” Shane Warne predicted, while calling the game for the Nine Network.

Not for the first time, Warne proved prophetic.

Johnson, who failed to take a wicket in the first dig, crashed a belligerent half-century off 37 deliveries.

Ishant Sharma, called into the attack after Haddin’s dismissal, copped the initial treatment.

Sharma’s two overs cost 25 runs and his spell ended then and there.

Johnson swung freely – pulling short balls off his chest and lashing wide deliveries over the slips.

He smacked three consecutive boundaries off Aaron, prompting captain MS Dhoni to run up from behind the stumps and counsel the express paceman.

Dhoni regularly tweaked his fields, but it was to no avail until Johnson was caught behind in the second session.

Sharma was relieved to capture the wicket, having misread a catch on the rope when Johnson was on 77.

The beanpole had sarcastically clapped Johnson the over before when he missed four consecutive deliveries.

Aaron had his pace up in the second session, but Starc, Nathan Lyon (23) and Josh Hazlewood (32no) continued Australia’s aggressive approach.