Mitchell Johnson played a brutal innings against India at the Gabba. Picture: Adam Head. Source: News Corp Australia

The left-hander carted India’s bowlers all around the Gabba, smashing 13 fours and a six in an exhibition of just how talented he is with bat in hand.

Statistics show that when Johnson bats well, he invariably bowls well too. Some of his best bowling performances have come off the back of match-turning knocks — particularly against England in the Ashes of 2010-11 and 2013-14, as well as the series in South Africa in 2009 when he notched his first Test ton.

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Mitchell Johnson plays a shot on day three of the second Test against India at the Gabba. Source: Getty Images

And after he went wicketless in India’s first innings, the tourists would do well to be wary of Big Mitch in their second dig.

Here are five reasons why Johnson should be considered a genuine all-rounder.

HE’S RANKED HIGHER THAN WATSON

Johnson is currently placed fifth on the International Cricket Council’s Test all-rounder rankings, two places higher than Australia’s first-choice Shane Watson.

He is Australia’s highest ranked Test all-rounder and, among all-comers, is behind only Shakib Al Hasan, Ravi Ashwin, Vernon Philander and Stuart Broad.

Johnson’s exploits with the ball are well known — he is the third ranked bowler in Test cricket and was recently awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy as the international player of the year — but his contributions with the bat have been important in 2014.

He has scored 268 runs this year, including a well-struck 61 against Pakistan in Dubai in October.

Shane Watson has now gone a year without a test century but Queensland captain James Hopes believes a big score is just around the corner for the all-rounder.

A TEST TON FOR THE AGES

South Africa’s bowlers would still be suffering nightmares from Johnson’s whirlwind innings in Cape Town in 2009.

His unbeaten 123 in the second innings came from just 103 balls and included 11 boundaries and five sixes. It was more than half the entire tally managed by the Australians in the first innings (209) and came against an attack that boasted the likes of Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini, Morne Morkel and Jacques Kallis.

Johnson raised his ton with a towering six over mid-wicket off Steyn.

“He’s an all-rounder,” Ponting said at the time. “I’ve had no doubt about him being able to become an all-rounder for Australia since the moment I saw him first bat. He’s always had the talent there and a good skill base. He enjoys his batting, he works hard on his batting, now he needs to keep improving in certain areas.

Mitchell Johnson celebrates bringing up his hundred against South Africa in 2009. Source: News Corp Australia

“But as we saw today if someone can go out and make a Test match hundred in 80-odd balls when you’ve got your backs to the wall, a lot of games are won and series changed as a result of somebody doing something like that. I have known he’s been capable of that. It’s a matter of him not being happy with what he’s done and keep working hard and make himself into that really good all-rounder that he hopes he can become.”

HE TURNED THE ASHES WITH BAT & BALL

Johnson will forever be remembered for his 37 wickets at 13.97 during last summer’s Ashes whitewash.

But as significant as any spell of bowling was his effort with the blade after Australia’s top order stumbled on the opening day of the series at the Gabba.

The hosts lurched to 6-132 before Johnson joined Brad Haddin at the crease.

The pair combined for 114-runs for the seventh wicket, steering a confidence-starved Australia from danger to a respectable first innings total of 295.

Johnson’s patient knock of 64 from 134 deliveries was key to the revival, and his second innings of 39* helped bat England out of the match.

A BEAUTIFUL TECHNIQUE

Michael Clarke thought enough of Johnson’s batting to elevate him to all-rounder status and play him at No. 7 for the Sydney Test against Sri Lanka in 2013.

Blessed with tremendous hand-eye coordination from a young age — he was a junior tennis champion in north Queensland — Johnson’s clean striking has been a feature of his batting throughout his career.

Johnson hits the ball as cleanly as just about anyone in world cricket. Source: News Corp Australia

He plays both straight- and cross-bat shots with aplomb and has shown an ability to tailor his innings to team needs and match situations.

“The batting side of things … I guess it is a bit of a bonus for me,” Johnson said of being termed an all-rounder. “I do love my batting and I want to have that all-rounder kind of status, but the way it’s worked for me is if I focus on my bowling and then chip in with runs at the end.

“I just like to do the best job I can do with the bat.”

HE DOES IT AGAINST THE WORLD’S BEST

Johnson’s batting heroics haven’t come in Micky Mouse matches or against sub-par bowling attacks.

Invariably his best performances with the bat have been against world-class opposition. His 2009 effort against South Africa saw him club Dale Steyn around Newlands with gay abandon, even though the fiery Proteas paceman will be remembered as one of the best fast bowlers of his generation.

Mitchell Johnson belted 88 runs against India on Friday. Picture: Adam Head. Source: News Corp Australia

His match-turning innings against England last year came when Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad were in operation. Both of those men have taken more than 250 Test wickets.

And on Friday, he was belting around the likes of Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav, who managed to contain Australia’s specialist batsmen for much of day two.

Johnson has scored four half-centuries against England, two against South Africa, two against India and one each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.