It has been 10 years since Australia last beat India in a Test series, whether home or away.

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The series, which Australia won 2-0 but was relatively close throughout, saw the first official exchange of blows between two men who would dominate Test cricket for the next decade.

Both Steve Smith and Virat Kohli scored four centuries each in this four-Test series. A 26-year-old Kohli finished with 692 runs at an average of 86.50 while 25-year-old Smith reached an incredible peak with 769 runs at 128.16.

This series came just as Joe Root and Kane Williamson were also beginning their rise, and there was a very palpable feeling that something was beginning.

Ten years later, the same two men, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, find themselves on the other side of their reigning decades no less important.

While the focus at the MCG in December 2024 will naturally be on the young men at the other end of their careers, Smith and Kohli still hold the fate of their country in their hands.

If this Test could ultimately decide the series, the battle in it between Smith and Kohli could decide the game.

And on the second day, one mastered the situation and the other imploded spectacularly.

In the space of about six manic minutes towards the end of the afternoon session, Kohli took advantage of all of India’s good performance, set it on fire and promptly gave Australia its lead back, just as the hosts were beginning to falter.

At first there was a slip-up, completely out of the blue, as such things often happen.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, with 82 and overall commander of the Australian attack, hit the ball hard to Pat Cummins on middle and immediately set off for a single.

Kohli saw Jaiswal coming but was caught on his heels and immediately turned to examine the legitimacy of Jaiswal’s decision before turning around and seeing his partner already coming.

In that split second, Kohli made the decision that he didn’t think he could make a single safe pass. Whether his assessment was correct – and it wouldn’t have mattered since Cummins’ throw missed the stumps anyway – was not his decision.

It was his job to fall back on Jaiswal’s reputation and be ready, but instead he overrode him and thoroughly angered him.

This moment turned the entire match on its head and clearly affected Kohli. In a showpiece case of self-rattling, within minutes Kohli had played the exact nibble outside off-stump he had avoided all day and was caught behind.

Kohli and Drama are never far from each other. Sometimes he actively seeks it out, as was the case with Sam Konstas on day one, but often his explosive nature means he can’t help but set off the odd explosion.

Kohli’s chaos was in stark contrast to Smith’s calming presence during the morning session as he professionally prepared the game for Australia.

Smith had the advantage of being able to play his hand first and he made the most of the opportunity with a superb follow-up to his Brisbane breakthrough.

While Smith initially had to give up at the Gabba to rediscover his talent, at the MCG it seemed as natural as it was in 2014.

That’s what’s often forgotten about Peak Smudge – how easy and routine he made hitting look, even if he did it in an aesthetically unorthodox way.

He had passed the 50 mark on the first day, then came back with Pat Cummins on the second day and casually chipped in the remaining runs needed for his 34th Test ton. The inevitability of it all was frighteningly familiar to India.

It was crucial for Australia that Smith completed the task as he did, as the strong start to the opening day had waned towards the end of the game. Had Smith reached the rest of the top four, reaching 50 and then being bowled out, India would have been firmly on the rise.

Instead, Smith pushed his team forward, aided by the freewheeling rear, past 450 and into a wonderfully strong position. From then on it is terribly difficult to lose a Test match.

The gauntlet was then thrown to the Indian top team who had to bail out their team.

Rohit Sharma decided to bowl KL Rahul from his opening position, only to have his wicket thrown away with as soft a dismissal as the captain could have mustered, half-heartedly chipping Cummins to Scott Boland at mid-wicket.

Rahul was just one delivery away from taking India to tea but was shocked to find that delivery was a Cummins fireball from the depths of hell.

It must be nice for Cummins that his typical wicket is a completely unplayable, grotesquely beautiful delivery that touches the batsman all the way. Imagine if your specialty was literally the best thing in the world. It’s not really fair.

That brought Kohli to the point and paired him with the heir apparent in Jaiswal for a crucial partnership. Australia’s conquerors were together again in Perth and both had a taste for it.

For a few hours, Australia must have suffered from some alarming flashbacks, but then Kohli turns his back on Jaiswal and changes the course of the whole affair.

Australia must now fight through Rishabh Pant and India’s revolving door of all-rounders to put themselves in a position to win this fourth Test and take the lead in the series. The pitch and conditions are good for batting, but there is momentum on the Australian side and India suddenly look like they are in danger of collapsing.

If the Aussies continue at the MCG, Smith and Kohli’s role in the result will be unmistakable. Just like it was 10 years ago and it will always be like that as long as they share a field.