Tim Paine steered Australia into a strong position as the visitors reached 390 for eight at tea on day two of the first test against India on Saturday.
The other overnight batsmen Shane Watson fell in the morning session after a well-compiled 126 but Pain soldiered on to remain unbeaten on 75 at the break with Ben Hilfenhaus giving him company on nine.
Resuming on the overnight score of 224-5, both Watson and Paine played with great caution, negating the threat posed by Zaheer Khan’s reverse swing.
Having featured in a 141-run stand with skipper Ricky Ponting on Friday, Watson was eventually removed by Harbhajan Singh in the morning session after a marathon 338-ball knock that included 10 boundaries.
Down the order, Paine found god support from Mitchell Johnson (47) and their partnership yielded 82 runs.