Steve Smith hit a second century in two games to help Australia post a first-innings lead of 97 on day three of the second Test in Brisbane.
The stand-in captain, who is replacing the injured Michael Clarke for this series, scored 133 before lunch to help the Aussies post 505 and leave the contest finely balanced at The Gabba.
Mitchell Johnson also came close to striking a century before being dismissed by Ishant Sharma, while Mitchell Starc (32*) and Josh Hazlewood (52) were able to add to the hosts' tally in the evening session.
India managed to reach 71-1 on their second innings by the close of play to trail by 26 runs, with Murali Vijay (27) falling to Starc before Shikar Dhawan (26*) and Cheteshwar Pujara (15*) managed to negotiate through to the end of the session.
Dhawan and Pujara will return to the crease tomorrow morning.