Eds: please note language in third final par.

By Rob Forsaith

MELBOURNE, Dec 28 AAP – Mitchell Johnson took on supernatural-like powers of intimidation in Australia’s routing of England last summer.

But on Sunday at the MCG he was treated like a park-cricket trundler by Indian centurions Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane.

Johnson went for 133 runs before finally snagging a wicket, dismissing Kohli caught behind in the final over of the day.

Johnson had his moments on day three of the Boxing Day Test, especially with the second new ball when he created two chances with Kohli on 88.

The left-armer also struck the helmet of Murali Vijay in a fiery morning spell full of short-pitched bowling.

But he couldn’t engineer the much-needed breakthrough for Australia as Kohli and Rahane put on a batting clinic in their 262-run stand.

Having seen off Johnson’s second-new-ball spell in the second session, the pair went about crushing his confidence after tea.

Kohli lashed three consecutive boundaries off bouncers in Johnson’s 23rd over, while Rahane hammered three fours off Johnson’s 24th over.

At the end of his post-tea spell, Johnson had figures of 0-116 from 25 overs.

He finished Sunday with 1-133 from 29.2 overs, copping further treatment from Kohli before finally finding his edge.

Johnson arguably hasn’t had such a long day in the field since 2010, when he leaked 0-104 from 27 overs in the second dig against England in Brisbane.

The express paceman was dropped for the following Test at Adelaide Oval, but bounced back with nine scalps in Perth.

Johnson suffered a severe toe injury the following year and fell out of love with the game, but rediscovered his blistering best in the 2013-14 Ashes.

Johnson claimed 37 wickets at 13.97 in the series, with Kevin Pietersen suggesting there was a feeling of fear in England’s dressing room.

“I was thinking … I could die here in the f***ing Gabbattoir,” Pietersen wrote in his autobiography.

“I was really worried … petrified.

“You very seldom hear people in your own team saying that they are physically scared, but our tail-end batsmen were scared.”