The temperatures cooled down considerably in these parts but Mitchell Johnson was red hot at the Gabba.
The fiery Johnson ripped through the heart of the Indian batting in the first session of the fourth day here on Saturday.
Match-winning bowlers can change the course of a Test in one burst.
Johnson’s sensational morning spell — 4-1-14-3 — of speed, vicious bounce and telling movement paved the way for the host’s hard-earned four-wicket win in the second Test.
Australia leads the four-Test series 2-0.
Cracks had opened up on the surface and Johnson hit them. This and his left-armer’s angle made survival hard for those facing him.
Dismissing India for 224 in its second innings and chasing 128 for victory on a pitch that demanded application, Australia lost wickets in the pursuit. Yet, the host was never really in danger of a shock defeat.
After the Indian batsmen had let the side down in a decisive morning session, the bowlers, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav in particular, bowled with incision. India had too little to defend.
Yadav hit David Warner on the wrist and Chris Rogers on the arm with nasty deliveries.
Employing his wrists to land the ball in the right areas, Ishant got one to straighten around off-stump from a crack to secure a nick from Warner. Then, the lanky speedster forced Shane Watson to, perilously, top-edge a pull.
Varun Aaron should have nailed Australia captain Steven Smith — adjudged Man-of-the-Match — but Virat Kohli put the catch down at third slip.
Rogers impresses At the other end, the left-handed Chris Rogers impressed. He played close to his body and went well back to shorten the length for some cracking strokes though point and covers.
However, when Rogers (55) slashed at an Ishant lifter, he was held by Shikhar Dhawan at third slip.
Shaun Marsh gloved one down leg-side from Yadav to Dhoni and Smith, timing the ball well, could not beat a throw from deep backward square-leg.
The out-of-form Haddin skied an attempted hook off Yadav to fine-leg, rather up, but Australia was soon home.
The fast bowlers fought hard for India but the morning’s batting collapse derailed the side.
The Indians also picked the wrong guy to sledge at. The words only stoked the combative instincts in Johnson.
With Dhawan not coming out to bat because of an injury to his right wrist, Kohli went in with Cheteshwar Pujara.
This, perhaps, affected India since Dhawan had batted for a fairly long period on Friday and would have been better equipped to cope with the Australian bowling in the morning.
In the event, India capitulated. The menacing Johnson’s length was just right; the left-armer got his deliveries to climb from the three-quarters length.
The Aussie predator’s speed and the quickness of the pitch meant the reaction time for the batsmen was less.
The dismissals happened in a flash.
Kohli’s bat was away from his feet when he attempted to negotiate a delivery outside off with extra bounce. He inside edged on to his stumps.
The Indian batsmen appeared and soon disappeared. Johnson’s sharp lift from just short of a good length forced Ajinkya Rahane to fend one to point.
Slot in danger There is a certain looseness about Rohit Sharma’s ways outside off and Johnson exploited it.
The Mumbai batsman’s slot in the team is in danger.
Not much later, Dhoni walked across one from the pacey Hazlewood and found himself at the wrong end of a leg-before decision.
Pujara, batting with a measure of confidence, and R. Ashwin seemed to halt the slide before the latter was wrongly given out caught behind off Mitchell Starc. Replays indicated the ball had brushed Ashwin’s back leg.
Pujara (43), getting behind the line and essaying some pretty shots square off the pitch, was finally prised out by a rising delivery on the off-stump by Hazlewood.
Dhawan (81), who had returned to bat by now, came up with an innings of some merit.
He pulled Johnson, played capably off his legs, sliced, guided through slips and cover-drove to collect his runs.
The left-hander, who appeared to have shortened his back-lift, was dismissed when he missed a sweep off off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Yadav struck some useful blows but the target was never going to be enough.
For India, the Test was a tale of missed chances. Australia seized those moments.
Scorecard
India — 1st innings: 408.
Australia — 1st innings: 505.
India — 2nd innings: M. Vijay b Starc 27 ( 39b, 4x4 ), S. Dhawan lbw b Lyon 81 ( 145b, 8x4 ), C. Pujara c Lyon b Hazlewood 43 ( 93b, 7x4 ), V. Kohli b Johnson 1 ( 11b ), A. Rahane c Lyon b Johnson 10 ( 8b, 2x4 ), Rohit Sharma c Haddin b Johnson 0 ( 2b ), M.S. Dhoni lbw b Hazlewood 0 ( 2b ), R. Ashwin c Haddin b Starc 19 ( 29b, 2x4 ), U. Yadav c Haddin b Johnson 30 ( 42b, 2x4, 2x6 ), V. Aaron c Hazlewood b Lyon 3 ( 9b ), Ishant Sharma (not out) 1 ( 9b ); Extras (lb-2, w-5, nb-2): 9; Total (in 64.3 overs): 224.
Fall of wickets: 1-41 (Vijay), 2-76 (Kohli), 3-86 (Rahane), 4-86 (Rohit), 5-87 (Dhoni), 6-117 (Ashwin), 7-143 (Pujara), 8-203 (Dhawan), 9-211 (Aaron).
Australia bowling: Johnson 17.3-4-61-4, Hazlewood 16-0-74-2, Starc 8-1-27-2, Watson 13-6-27-0, Lyon 10-1-33-2.
Australia — 2nd innings: C. Rogers c Dhawan b Ishant 55 ( 57b, 10x4 ), D. Warner c Dhoni b Ishant 6 ( 12b ), S. Watson c Dhoni b Ishant 0 ( 8b ), S. Smith run out 28 ( 39b, 4x4 ), S. Marsh c Dhoni b Yadav 17 ( 17b, 3x4 ), B. Haddin c Kohli b Yadav 1 ( 2b ), M. Marsh (not out) 6 ( 7b, 1x4 ), M. Johnson (not out) 2 ( 3b ); Extras (b-4, lb-4, w-1, nb-6): 15; Total (for six wkts. in 23.1 overs): 130.
Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Warner), 2-22 (Watson), 3-85 (Rogers), 4-114 (S. Marsh), 5-122 (Smith), 6-122 (Haddin).
India bowling: Ishant 9-2-38-3, Yadav 9-0-46-2, Aaron 5.1-0-38-0.
Man-of-the-match: Steve Smith.
