Rohit Sharma's shot selection pegged India back after rookie bowling attack restricted Australia to 369 on a rain-curtailed second day of the fourth Test on Saturday.
With heavy thundershowers preventing any play in the post-tea session, India ended the day at 62 for two.
Rohit hit 44 off 74 balls before Nathan Lyon in his 100th Test enticed him to come down the track but the half-chip-half-loft was safely pouched by Mitchell Starc in the deep.
India also lost Shubman Gill (7) who edged one off Pat Cummins to Steve Smith.
Cheteshwar Pujara (8) and Ajinkya Rahane (2) added only two runs in the 6.1 overs before the break.
There were six boundaries from Rohit but he did not fiddle at deliveries in and around the off-stump channel even as Cummins and Josh Hazlewood bowled a testing spell under overcast conditions.
The shot of the session was an on-drive off Cummins which came after a streaky boundary through the slips in the same over. Another delightful stroke was an off-drive off Cameron Green as 49 runs were added for the second wicket.
here wasn't much swing on offer but the pace off the track has increased compared to the first day and it only helped that the Australian pace attack is a more well-built one with the average speed being at least 6-7 kph more than their Indian counterparts.
Pujara, at the other end, was playing his usual 'grinding out' game but it didn't look too arduous till Rohit kept the scoreboard ticking at the other end.
It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that among all top-order batsmen across both sides, Rohit looked the most comfortable and till his dismissal never looked like being troubled by the four-pronged attack.
India, who have been forced to field a depleted side, won't mind inclement weather which effectively makes the home team more jittery as a draw would be enough for Ajinkya Rahane to lift the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
In the first session, India's rookie bowling line-up did put up a lion-hearted effort, getting the last five wickets for 95 runs.
Shardul Thakur (3/94), along with debutants Washington Sundar (3/89) and Thangarasu Natarajan (3/78), got the breakthroughs while Mohammed Siraj (28-10-77-1) got one on the opening day.