Left out of the one-day series against New Zealand earlier this month as Shaun Tait fought his way back after injury, it was essential for Mitchell Johnson to satisfy himself that the hunger and fire still burned brightly.

The 26-year-old from Queensland turned in a tidy display in the first innings, though he went wicketless. On day four at the MCG on Saturday, the left-arm paceman hastened the end of the match with three wickets in the post-tea session, bowling Australia to a 337-run triumph.

"It was a very proud moment for me to take that last wicket," Johnson said on Sunday before going to join his team-mates who were recovering in salt water at a private resort not far from here.

"I was taken by surprise at being dropped for the one-dayers, and I know that a lot of bowlers are snapping at our heels. I just tried to focus on getting things right before the Test.

"It was great to get the new ball with Brett Lee. I was in good rhythm throughout the Test, hitting the areas I wanted to consistently. With guys like Brett and Stuart (Clark), there is great back-up. On this track, it was essential to keep patience. Test cricket is about being patient for longer periods."

A relief

Johnson said it was a relief to get those wickets on day four. "I didn't have much luck in the first innings, had a catch dropped and another taken off a no-ball. It was a relief to pick up some wickets, I got the ball to reverse at the end and that was a good sign for me."

Asked if he had changed anything between innings, he revealed a chat with bowling coach Troy Cooley had helped. "I changed the seam position and the position of my wrist, got it nice and upright. That helped me swing the ball more, as well as reverse it both ways."

India's first innings had begun with a string of Johnson maidens to Rahul Dravid. "It was part of the plan to keep it outside off to him," he explained. "He is a very patient sort of batsman, so we needed to be patient as well. We could feel the pressure building on him. India not being able to score freely came down to the way we bowled at them. It was a hard wicket to score on and we put a lot of pressure on their batting."

Johnson has had extraordinary success against India in one-day cricket, beginning with the tri-series in Kuala Lumpur last year and extending to this year's seven-match series in India. "It gives me a bit more confidence. I really enjoyed the last series in India. Hopefully, the Indian batsmen also keep thinking about it!"