Green top welcomes India in Perth - Mumbai Indians

under pressure but Australia is very capable to turning things around.What they also lack is consistency in the middle order.

After taking an early 1-0 lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India and Australia have travelled to Perth for the all-important second Test starting December 14.

Cut to 2008-09, WACA.

RP Singh jumps in ecstasy as India bounce back from the monkeygate controversy in Syndey to clinch a historic Test victory at the WACA in Perth. Exactly a kilometer away from the iconic WACA, is the new Optus Stadium -- the venue for the second Test.

While the Optus track may not be as quick as what the WACA was, a green monster is waiting to welcome Virat Kohli and his troops.

Before both these teams lock horns again, here is all that you need to read about both the squads.

From the Indian dressing room:

India have suffered two massive blows ahead of the second Test. Rohit Sharma has been ruled out with a jarred back and Ravichandran Ashwin is suffering from an abdominal sprain.

The visitors have announced a 13-man squad which includes Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav. It will be interesting to see what the bowling combination will be like.

There’s a high possibility of India fielding four pacers and Ravindra Jadeja as their lone spinner which in turn doesn’t give them that extra batting cushion.

If this has to happen, India will have to choose between Kumar and Umesh. While Bhuvneshwar Kumar makes the new ball talk, Umesh Yadav has speed in his wings to unsettle batsmen, especially on tracks which aid fast bowling. It will not be an easy decision to make for the management.

Jasprit Bumrah and Co. will be well aware of the fact that they have not been able to clean up tailenders which has impacted the overall result largely and that might serve as a cause of concern even in Perth.

As far as India’s batting is concerned, with Prithvi Shaw still out, all eyes will be on Murali Vijay who will aim to spend some more time in the middle and score big. Shaw is most likely to return for the Boxing Day Test on the December 26 in Melbourne and if that happens, either one of Vijay or Rahul will have to make way. Rahul played more freely in the second innings and hence got 44 crucial runs. He needs to be more consistent in order to keep his place in the side. India will be satisfied with the way Cheteshwar Pujara handled things in Adelaide but the onus will now shift on Virat Kohli who will aim to get those big runs under his belt to keep his reputation intact.

Ajinkya Rahane roaring back to form is always a lovely sight but India will be hoping for their vice-captain to notch a Test hundred which has eluded him for over 40 innings now.

Ravi Shastri wasn’t happy with way Rishabh Pant batted. After attacking Lyon and having the field spread out, instead of rotating the strike, Pant threw his wicket to put India back under pressure. Pant is naturally aggressive and if he is able to deal with his nature will be interesting to see.

India could also go in with that extra batting cushion in Hanuma Vihari who struck a solid fifty under pressure on debut in England.

From the Australian dressing room:

Australia impressed in pieces at Adelaide but it is their batting which let them down in the first Test. One of their openers Aaron Finch or Marcus Harris has to do a David Warner. They will have to bat out of their skins to put Bumrah and Co. under pressure but Australia is very capable to turning things around.

What they also lack is consistency in the middle order. While Steve Smith was almost invincible the last time India toured Australia, the likes of Khawaja, Marsh and Handscomb have looked complacent.

One important point to note is that Warner, Smith or for that matter - a number of former Australia greats never shied away from scoring runs. Attacking mindset was at the forefront of those batters but the current Australian team has adapted to a very defensive mindset which did not work well in Adelaide.

One can expect a same XI for Australia to take field but with a more aggressive approach. We all know how dangerous Finch can be if the pitch offers no seam movement. Khawaja and Marsh need to shoulder the middle order with the support of Travis Head and Peter Handscomb.

Skipper Tim Paine needs to show his prowess with the bat. He has not scored a first-class hundred in the past 13 years. However, his captaincy skills are praiseworthy. The way he rotated his quicks and used Nathan Lyon was commendable.

Australia will be aiming for more from their front three -- Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. While Josh Hazlewood was the most impressive among them, Mitchell Starc sometimes, at the start of his spell, lacked intent.

He was bowling in the mid 130s with the soft Kookaburra which made life easy for the likes of Pujara and Rahane to build their second innings. One can expect more attacking stuff from Pat Cummins in the second Test.

Australia will be happy with the way Nathan Lyon has performed. His 6 wickets in the second innings are a testimony of his abilities on pitches which offer even a little turn. Indian spinners will like to learn from him, especially the way he uses the rough to unsettle batsmen.

The second Test match starts on Friday at 7.50 AM IST.

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