Chris Rogers cuts for four. Picture: Adam Head Source: News Corp Australia

Paceman Mitchell Johnson did the damage early on for Australia. Picture: Bradley Kanaris Source: Getty Images

The win came at 4.23pm local time when Mitchell Marsh hit a cracking cover-driven four to knock off the last of the 128 runs required to head to Melbourne with a 2-0 series lead.

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Today’s win was not without late drama in a dramatic Test. Steve Smith was run out for 28 when Umesh Yadav landed a direct hit from the deep.

Smith protested that his path had been obstructed by Varun Aaron, but the bowler looked to be simply walking along his line back to the top of his mark.

Smith capped a memorable debut as captain by being named man of the match for his first innings hundred, his second innings steadiness and his tactical nous in the field.

Smith and Chris Rogers added run-a-ball 50 partnership to bring Australia within sight of victory in the afternoon.

The pair steadied Australia’s innings after Dave Warner fell for nine and Shane Watson went just before tea for a duck.

Rogers was in sparkling touch; textbook cuts behind square have been a feature and he peeled off some classic cover drives.

The opener brought up his 50 when he lofted Yadav to the midwicket boundary. When he was out, for 55, Australia needed only 45 to win.

However there was a late twist when Shaun Marsh (17), Smith and Brad Haddin (1) fell in quick succession.

Earlier, a spirited rearguard action by Shikhar Dhawan (81 from 145 balls with eight fours) and Yadav (30, 42 balls, two fours and two sixes) seems to have only delayed the inevitable after the middle order crumpled in the morning.

Dhawan and Yadav added 60 before the left-handed opener was trapped leg before to Nathan Lyon trying to paddle the spinner to the fine leg rope.

Mitchell Johnson (4-61 from 17.3 overs) returned to top form to run through the Indians this morning before returning to finish off Yadav an hour into the afternoon session.

Johnson was the pick of the attack but all contributed, with Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Lyon each taking two wickets and Shane Watson doing a good job for the side in the injured Mitchell Marsh’s absence.

Earlier, India collapsed to be 7-157 at lunch – clinging to a lead of 60 runs – under a fierce spell by Johnson and his fellow Australian pacemen on the wearing Gabba wicket.

The tourists had a luckless morning that started badly when Dhawan and Virat Kohli were injured in the nets.

Dhawan retired hurt on his overnight score of 26 but was soon back in the middle after a dramatic collapse.

The injuries prompted the Indian camp to issue a statement complaining about the state of the practice wickets.

“Indian team has been asking for fresh net practice wickets several times for last two days which (have) not been provided,” a team official said this morning.

“Instead of that they have asked to practise on worn out wickets which have uneven bounce.

“Because of that two of our batsmen got injured today.

“One of the two batsmen, Shikhar Dhawan, had a right wrist injury. Because of that he was unable to bat in the morning.”

In rejecting the criticisms, Gabba officials reportedly said the pitches had been prepared to closely replicate the Test pitch.

In losing 6-86 this morning, the tourists were certainly struggling to handle conditions in the middle.

The fourth day of a Test is sometimes called moving day and so it was when Kohli fell for one and Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni made ducks.

Johnson did the early damage in a searing four over spell of 3-14 from the Vulture St End before Hazlewood and Starc joined the party.

Johnson tailed one back that Kohli chopped onto his stumps before Ajinkya Rahane (10) fended a short ball to gully.

Rohit departed immediately, caught Brad Haddin bowled Johnson, before Hazlewood trapped Dhoni leg before for no score.

The luck has run against India this tour and so it has been today, as two of Johnson’s wicket balls were barely legal.

Replays showed only a minuscule section of Johnson’s front foot was behind the line on both occasions, if indeed any part was.

The Dhawan injury was also highly unfortunate and Dhoni was perhaps unlucky to be given out leg before, given he was walking at the ball so was well forward.

But replays vindicated Marais Erasmus’s decision and it was an ill-considered shot from the captain in the circumstances.

Ravi Ashwin looked in good touch in skipping to 19 but he too might have been unlucky to be given out caught behind to a Starc ball that might have missed the inside edge and hit his leg.

Cheteshwar Pujara (43 from 93 balls, seven fours) was the rock as the wickets tumbled at the other end and when he fell India’s already slim hopes sank further.

The classy number three was the victim of a brute of a ball from Hazlewood that, like Rahane, he could only parry gently to Lyon in the gully.

Smith again marshalled his forces well, tasting immediate success when he switched Hazlewood to the Vulture St End before lunch.