In the Gabba greenhouse, this Test match is incubating rapidly. A faster, bouncier pitch than in Adelaide has made both sides more excitable in all disciplines. Attacking bent has been met with attacking bent. Not the least collateral damage has been to the ball: three were used in India's first innings, and three inside the first 25 overs when Australia batted. In the game's evolution, ball technology may not be keeping up with bat technology.

On Thursday, Indian captain MS Dhoni set the tone. Twice before he had scored, he took balls thudding into his body, not so much acts of evasion as invitations to the bowlers to come at him, the way a footballer invites a tackle, the better to break them. Umpire Marais Erasmus understood this. When one ball from Mitch Johnson ricocheted from Dhoni's half-turned shoulder and away for three byes, he called dead ball, refusing to accept that Dhoni truly was taking evasive action, but rather was padding up with his shoulder blade. Dhoni protested, of course.

Dhoni has developed a kind of chaos theory of batting. With small movements to unnatural positions in the crease, he disorients bowlers, manoeuvres the ball into gaps and wreaks havoc. In Ian Chappell's day, it was back and across. For Dhoni, it is forward and across. It is an impudent method, but effective. It brought him a modest 33on Thursday, but around that, India built its first innings to 408.

The price was its last six wickets, but Dhoni's attitude seemed to say that 400 should be enough, and he wasn't here to speculate. Evidently, he knows his history. The Gabba is Australia's happiest hunting ground, but it has never won a Test here when its opponent has made more than 400 in the first innings of the match.

Josh Hazlewood led Australia's rejuvenated line. He also worked to a plan, fast bowling's oldest. Bouncers excite crowds and commentators, full deliveries excite wicketkeepers and slips. A smart fast bowler  campaigns by using one to give effect to the other. The first four wickets on Thursday were to swinging balls and catches in the cordon. Hazlewood's control of the ball and the moment was impressive. More than any other bowler, including Mitch Johnson, he was able to complement one good ball with another immediately.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said of Mitch Starc, who grew more ragged by the hour and seemed at a loss for a remedy.

When Australia batted, it momentarily appeared that the Indian bowlers were erring on the side of pitching up too far. In fact, it was just David Warner, who creamed good length balls for four anyway if he was afforded even the slightest room. Another single-handed thrashing promised, but this was Brisbane, not Adelaide, and when he made to shovel Umesh Yadav to leg, the extra bounce caught a leading edge and looped to slip.

A mood was upon the match. Normally temperate Chris Rogers used his sawn-off technique to hit 10 fours in 50. Dhoni, if anything, was encouraged, sometimes setting five slips and once an 8:1 off-side field, spoiling for edges. Meantime, the score mounted at five an over.   Dhoni sensed fragility yet in this Clarke-free batting order. After Shane Watson's standard one-hour cameo, Rogers succumbed to Yadav's three-card trick: two bouncers, then a brush from his hip to wicketkeeper Dhoni.   Yadav exploited the bounce again for his third wicket, doubly earned, when Shaun Marsh survived a skied pull shot and dropped catch, but in the next over played a cut high to second slip.

The match lies in the balance, and on Friday morning is in one man's hands. Captain Steve Smith can tip it Australia's way, his early wicket towards India. No one need hold their breath. After an hour's reconnoitering on Thursday, Smith hoisted off-spinner Ravi Ashwin successively for 6, 4, 6. He had seen Dhoni's hand and raised him one.

The thunderstorm that lashed the Gabba after play on Thursday evening might yet prove to be merely the calm.