Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc has dominated day three of the second Test in Brisbane, where Australia took their aggressive approach to new heights.

The left-armers bowled tightly to restrict India to 1-71 at stumps on Friday.

But far more important was the 140 runs they scored, rocketing Australia to a first-innings lead of 97 runs after Steve Smith posted a captain’s century.

Smith’s 133 was the best effort by an Australian on Test captaincy debut since Warwick Armstrong’s 158 in the second innings against England in 1920.

India wilted in the field as Australia left it late to amass a total of 505.

Johnson and Smith shared a 148-run stand – the highest seventh-wicket Test partnership at the Gabba.

The hosts trailed by 10 runs when both Smith and Johnson were dismissed by Ishant Sharma in the 88th over.

But their tail wagged in remarkable fashion.

Starc (52), Nathan Lyon (23) and Josh Hazlewood (32no) all lashed India’s attack with reckless abandon, regularly finding the rope.

First-innings centurion Murali Vijay then played on when he attempted to shoulder arms to Starc, while Shikhar Dhawan (26no) and Cheteshwar Pujara (15) made it to stumps.

The fashion in which Australia took control of the contest thanks to Smith and Johnson, who scored 88, was staggering.

India started the day on top, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav quickly asserting their dominance.

The runs dried up, with Mitch Marsh and Brad Haddin both out 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 – Australia more than doubled their score in 48 overs.

Johnson, who like Starc 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.

The carnage continued as Starc, Lyon and Hazlewood adopted Johnson’s free-wheeling approach.