India head into Day 2 of the 2nd Test against Australia in Brisbane in buoyant mood after Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane put the bowlers to the sword on the opening day.
Vijay was India's trump card on day one, scoring a brilliant hundred to help India post a formidable 311 for four at the end of day's play.
While Vijay threw away his wicket a little while before stumps, Rahane is still very much there, batting on 75, with Rohit Sharma at the other end.
India will now look to march on towards a big total on day two against an Australia side which failed to cope with the batsmen and the heat, with bowlers falling left, right and centre.
"I thought [the pitch] was very good for the bowlers if they bowled well," Rahane told BCCI's official website. "The Australian bowlers struggled with the heat. I don't think they expected it to be so hot out there.
"But all said and done, the kind of cricket we played today, we should all be proud of each other."
Rahane will be the key for India on Day 2; if the right-hander can go on and make a big hundred like Vijay, with Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni at the other end for company, then India could look at a total in excess of 500.
The dominant opening day for India also justified Dhoni's decision to bat first, a decision which initially raised a few eyebrows considering the green nature of the wicket at the Gabba.
"Our approach in the Adelaide Test has made the captain really confident of us," added Rahane. "Credit to the captain for deciding to bat first because it was a decision taken with a very positive mindset.
"And that positivity had an impact on the entire team. It showed in the way we played."
Australia will be hamstrung for the rest of the match in terms of their bowling, with Mitchell Marsh ruled out of action with the ball after picking up and injury, while Josh Hazlewood also seemed to cramp up during the day.
"He's got a mild low-grade hamstring strain on his right leg," Australia physio Alex Kountouris said of Marsh. "He's had surgery on the left leg a year ago and he's also injured the right one maybe two years ago.
"This is a mild injury. He's going to have a scan today and we'll try to get him on the field tomorrow and hopefully have him batting in some way if that's useful."
On debutant Hazlewood, who picked up two big wickets in the second session, Kountouris added: "He had cramps all over his body, so it wasn't just one place. Typically when they cramp they cramp in their calf or their hamstring or something and they tend to get on with it.
"The difficulty with him is he was cramping everywhere. It was both calves, both hamstrings, groins, hips, he just couldn't function.
"You could see his pace was down when he came back and bowled and he showed some courage to do that because he was really struggling.
"Every ball he bowled he was cramping up in multiple places. He will recover overnight and we'll see how he wakes up tomorrow. We expect him to be bowling tomorrow."
Mitchell Starc was another who looked stricken, unable to cope with the ridiculous heat in Brisbane, with Kountouris also revealing the fast bowler was struggling with a back problem.
"His back was sore, he's also getting some rib pain," added Kountouris. "I haven't had a chance to fully assess that, it is not a side strain and we don't think it is anything that is going to stop him bowling but we'll have to look at it tonight. But we think he is going to be able to okay to bowl tomorrow."
While Marsh's loss can be overcome, Australia will struggle significantly if they lose one of Hazlewood or Starc for the rest of the match.
Where to Watch Live
Get the Day 2 Score HERE
Day 2 of the second Test between India abd Australia in Brisbane is set to begin at 10 am local time (11 am AEDT, 5.30 am IST, 12 am GMT, 7 pm ET) with live coverage in India on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports HD1. Viewers in India can also watch the opening day of the second Test via live streaming online on Starsports online.
Watch the Test live on Channel 9 in Australia, while viewers in the country can also live stream the match on Cricket Australia Live or the Cricket Australia Live App.
Audience in the UK catch all the Test match action of Day 2 live on Sky Sports 2, while the live streaming option is on Sky Go or Watch Sky Sports. The second day of the 2nd Test can be watched by viewers in the USA on Willow TV or via a live stream on Willow TV Online. Viewers in the Middle East can catch the match live on OSN or via live streaming online on OSN Play.
