Steve Smith scored his 31st Test century before Australia captain Pat Cummins sparked India’s collapse in the World Test Championship final on Thursday.
Smith, 95* overnight, followed teammate Travis Head in going to three figures with 121 in a first-innings total of 469 at The Oval.
Fast bowler Cummins, in his 50th Test, then removed opposing skipper Rohit Sharma to initiate India’s second-day slump.
Ajinkya Rahane (29*), struck some painful blows on the glove, held firm with Ravindra Jadeja (48) after India had been reduced to 71-4.
But India were 151-5 at stumps, a huge deficit of 318 runs.
Rohit was plumb lbw for 15 to a full-length ball from Cummins, who had close figures of 1-36 in nine overs.
Four balls later, India were 30-2 when Shubman Gill (13) was bowled playing no shot to Scott Boland after being deceived by a sharp off-cutter.
England’s Stuart Broad tried to rile Australia before this match by saying he hoped Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli kept Cummins’s men in the field for a long time ahead of next week’s first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
But both senior India batsmen fell for 14 on Thursday.
Pujara was bowled leaving a delivery from all-rounder Cameron Green and Kohli was undone by a spiteful, lifting ball from Mitchell Starc that took the shoulder of the bat, with Smith holding an excellent leaping catch above his head at second slip.
Left-hander Jadeja defied Australia in an aggressive 51-ball knock featuring seven fours and a six.
But he succumbed to off-spinner Nathan Lyon, edging a well-flighted and turning delivery to slip in a tame end to a stand of 71 with Rahane.
“We are in a really good spot so hopefully we can get a few more wickets in the morning,” Boland told Sky Sports. “The pitch is going a little bit up and down so it should be harder for the India batters tomorrow.”
India were facing a potentially huge Australian first-innings total with Smith and Head (163) at the crease.
But their pacemen struck as Australia lost four wickets for 41 runs, including Head and Smith, to slip from 361-3 to 402-7.
India bowled out Australia after lunch, fast bowler Mohammed Siraj taking 4-108 from 28.3 overs.
Smith reached three figures in the opening over on Thursday, joining compatriot Steve Waugh on seven Test hundreds in England.
Among non-England batsman, only Australia great Don Bradman, with 11 centuries, has scored more.
Smith’s 31st Test century left him 12th on the all-time list.
Head extended his first overseas Test century to 150 but a short ball proved his undoing when he tried to whip Siraj legside and gloved a catch to wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat.
Head’s dismissal ended an impressive stand of 285 runs with Smith after they had come together with Australia in trouble at 76-3.
Shardul Thakur then captured the prized wicket of Smith, who inside-edged an outswinger into his stumps to the delight of the large India contingent in a crowd of over 23,000.
© Agence France-Presse
