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Mitchell Starc hit a defiant 26 to keep Australia in touch on the second day of the opening Test in Perth, with the hosts all out for 104 at lunch on Saturday to trail India by 46.
Australia lost Alex Carey and Nathan Lyon in an intense session on a lively deck before Starc and Josh Hazlewood got involved.
They reached triple figures thanks to some dogged last-wicket resistance from the pair – their 25-run stand was the longest of the Australian innings. Hazlewood was not away seven years.
Jasprit Bumrah was India’s leading destroyer with 5-30, his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests. Harshit Rana scored 3-48.
Australia recovered 67-7, trailing by 83, after falling an astonishing 17 wickets on a chaotic opening day when India were all out for 150.
Home hopes rested on Carey as he started on 19, but after pushing two to Rana, he came up against an unstoppable Bumrah.
Rounding the wicket, the Indian captain bowled Carey and he nicked wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
Lyon (5) did well to drag 16 fiery balls before gloving a short one from Rana to KL Rahul in the slips.
This brought Hazlewood to the crease and it was only a matter of time before India struck again, but he and Starc remained brave, taking the 100 to the cheers of the crowd.
It was a smart innings from Starc, who doggedly faced 112 balls and shielded Hazlewood to add crucial extra runs before throwing Rana to Pant.
India have won their last two Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia.
Perth is the first of five Tests in the series.
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