Shikhar Dhawan was technically out before he had faced a ball in Test matches. The first delivery of the innings slipped out of the bowler Mitchell Starc's hand and landed on the non-striker's stumps with Dhawan out of his ground. There was no appeal, but for the remainder of the afternoon Australia had reason to ponder their generosity. Dhawan took full advantage with a breathtaking century, its 85-ball duration the swiftest ever by a Test debutant.

Replying to a tally of 408 swelled by Australia's tail, Dhawan and M Vijay formed a beautifully balanced union that did not take long to become plainly disdainful of the visiting bowlers. Dhawan's stroke range was awe-inspiring, no fewer than 21 boundaries streaming from his bat to all parts of the PCA ground. He was most savage through cover, piercing gaps no matter how many fielders Michael Clarke employed to patrol the region.

In doing so, Dhawan laid waste to a touring attack that should have been feeling quite haughty about prolonging Australia's innings on the third morning. The worst punishment was saved for Moises Henriques, Nathan Lyon and most of all Xavier Doherty, who in one over conceded 18, all to Dhawan's impudent blade.

Among the liberties taken in that over was a reverse sweep, conveying just how little Dhawan thought of the visiting spin bowlers. At the age of 27, Dhawan had been made to wait 81 first-class matches, 5679 runs and 16 centuries for this chance, coming at the expense of Virender Sehwag. The flourish with which Dhawan took it was supreme, and indicated that India have not given up hope of forcing a victory over the remaining two days.

Only once did Dhawan give the ghost of a chance, a thick edge on 94 flying through the hands of a diving Phillip Hughes at gully off Peter Siddle's bowling. The Australians might have had some inkling of how swiftly the runs might flow when India batted after watching their own tail wag furiously. Starc assembled a brave 99, Steven Smith managed 92, and in all 157 runs were added for the final three wickets.

For most of his innings Starc played nervelessly, hitting with power and pushing through gaps with finesse, while also defending when necessary. But he tightened up noticeably with one run to get, beaten twice outside off stump by Ishant Sharma then edging an attempted drive behind after MS Dhoni brought the field in.

Smith's innings reached a similarly flat conclusion after he had also played with great assurance at No. 5, demonstrating a steadier approach and straighter bat than he had shown in his earlier Test appearances in 2010 and 2011. Chanceless until his dismissal, it took a practically perfect ball from Pragyan Ojha to dislodge him.

Starc and Smith had begun with plenty of work ahead to provide Australia with a worthwhile tally on a decent pitch and fast outfield, and they were soon into stride. Starc struck the ball cleanly but not without intelligence. Smith subsisted mainly on singles, but the second new ball invited him to play a sublime straight drive.

Together they stretched the stand to 97, the best of the innings since Ed Cowan's opening union with David Warner. Smith had crept to within eight runs of a deserved century, but Ojha was to confound him with a perfectly sculpted left-arm orthodox delivery that drifted, dropped and then spun away sharply to beat a groping defensive blade. Dhoni had the bails off in an instant, leaving Smith to trudge off beaten but unbowed.

Nathan Lyon's recall allowed him to demonstrate a neat forward defensive stroke once again, as Starc set off in pursuit of his own hundred. For the most part his innings was admirably correct, but as the milestone neared he dragged the odd delivery to the leg side and also had the benefit of a few fortuitous edges to the boundary. A punch through cover from Ravindra Jadeja took Starc from 96 to 98, a single to long off nudged him to 99. Next over, after two anxious swings at a ball angled across him, Starc touched another ball swerving away and Dhoni held a fine low catch.

Australia were denied their first centurion at No. 9 since Ray Lindwall in January 1947, and a rare chance to feel a rush of shared jubilation on this tour. So even during a session in which India were dominated, the hosts still managed to deny their opponents.