Australia v India: Mitchell Johnson happy to perform aggressive role

Mitchell Johnson was delighted to carry out his “job” and fire Australia to victory over India in the second Test in Brisbane.

The left-arm quick bulldozed India’s middle-order on Saturday morning – taking 3-10 in 11 balls – before finishing with figures of 4-61 as Australia dismissed the tourists for 224.

It's just nice to feel some rhythm and contribute to the team.

Johnson was then at the crease, with Mitchell Marsh, as The Baggy Greens reached their target of 128 to win the game with a day to spare and move 2-0 up in the four-match series.

"My job in this team is to get out there, get wickets and be aggressive," said Johnson, who also plundered a 93-ball 88, which included 13 fours and a maximum, in Australia’s first innings on Friday.

"It's just nice to feel some rhythm and contribute to the team."

Australia captain Steven Smith, victorious in his first Test as skipper after standing in for the injured Michael Clarke, was quick to praise Johnson’s bowling, which accounted for Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma and Umesh Yadav during India’s second knock.

But the 25-year-old reckons the Queenslander’s brutal batting was the game-changing moment in the second Test, with Johnson striding to the wicket with Australia 247-6 but then playing a starring role as the hosts smashed their way to a total of 505.

Outstanding

"Mitch certainly did it for us on Saturday with that little spell,” said Smith. “All the bowlers produced the goods but he cracked the game open for us.

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"It was amazing, too, the way that Mitch came out on Friday. To take the bowlers on from ball one was outstanding and it was a big turning point in the game.”

India skipper MS Dhoni, who has dismissed for a duck on Saturday after being trapped lbw by Test debutant Josh Hazlewood, saw his side slip from 71-1 overnight to 87-5 in the midst of Johnson’s onslaught.

And the wicketkeeper, who missed India’s 48-run first Test defeat in Adelaide with a thumb injury, was displeased with the way his batsmen performed before lunch.

"I thought the first session was very crucial and I don't think we handled it really well,” he said.

"If we had got a decent partnership going and got a few more runs then we could have exploited the conditions more, but it was the morning session that had a big impact on the game."

See if India can bounce back in Melbourne by watching the third Test, live from 11.30pm, Christmas Day, Sky Sports 2.