India VS Australia 2018-19

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The only time India lifted the Border-Gavaskar trophy was in 2003-04 when the series was drawn 1-1. Many considers this is the best chance for India to lift the trophy with a win, as this Aussies side is the weakest one to have played against India. Let's see how the summer shower it's heat in Australia. The schedule are as follows

T-20 series:
Match 1 - 21 November - Brisbane
Match 2 - 23 November - Melbourne
Match 3 - 25 November - Sydney


Test Matches

1. Adelaide : 6-12-18 to 10-12-18
2. Perth : 14-12-2018 to 18-12-18
3. Melbourne : 26-12-18 to 30-12-18
4. Sydney : 03-01-19 to 07-01-19

ODI Series:

Match 1 - 12 Jan - Sydney
Match 2 - 15 Jan - Adelaide
Match 3 - 18 Jan - Melbourne

To be honest I am not happy with the scheduling. Indian team management thinks that T-20 or the ODIs are the best way to get acclimatised to the home conditions and they were proved wrong in the last two tours. Still they have only one practise game for preparations. Also if the nepotism wonder R. Sharma gets into the XI, I will support Australia to repeat 2011.

Well, so as expected, India pretty much on cards to get bowled out under 150. The bowlers led by Shami and Bumrah brought them back to the game with that Australian collapse, but 287 was anyways beyond them in the 4th innings on this track. Great job by the Australian last wicket partnership that gave them that psychological advantage. Had India got a target less than 250 or just around, they would have believed just that little bit more. Anyways, with 4 number 11s in the side, they wouldn't have had much of a chance.
The Yadav selection over Jadeja is the most decisive factor that has influenced the game. It is not a case of a player becoming the best in the world when they don't play. Jadeja is a very proven match winner at home, and though his record overseas isn't great, it is not bad really. His last overseas outing he was pretty decent. This track has had something for the spinner from day 1, and there is not many better than Jadeja when it comes to maximizing the natural variation available from the track. His batting has also picked up significantly, a test hundred he scored against the West Indies in the last series, and in the last overseas test he played in England, he made a fine 86 and batted brilliantly with the lower order. He is very unlikely to give away as many runs as Yadav did. Yadav's advantage over Bhuvi is his pace, but he was far from his best in that department, bowling mostly in the 130s than the 140s as he's capable of .
Perhaps Umesh will score his 2nd First Class hundred tomorrow and lead India to a historic win so that Kohli-Shastri can say this was our plan always! An Umesh hundred an a Bumrah 50 are the only way for India to win this one!!!
Else, should be done in the first hour tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Prithvi Shaw is ruled out of the series, and Mayank Agarwal is called up. Kohli had an opportunity to play Agarwal in the West Indies tests for which he was in the squad but did not do so. Now Vijay is in poor form despite his good county performance and a hundred in the practice game that facilitated his way back to the side. Rahul doesn't seem to know where his next run would come from. Shaw is injured and Agarwal is yet to play a test. Kohli might now use this as a ground to bring his buddy back in though...

All-rounder Hardik Pandya is also recalled to the side after he proved his fitness with a fine all-round show in the Ranji game he played against domestic powerhouse Mumbai where he took a 5for and then scored 73...

Losing Shaw for the series is a big blow for India.
Pandya back in the squad or the side? I see him as the Indian Marsh ...hes not good enough to bat top 7 and not good enough to bowl in a 4 man attack. They do need a way to not overwork Shami and strengthen the tail, but I dont see Pandya being the guy to do that.

No Shaw is indeed a blow for India...they are stuck with two under-performing openers : unless they are going to ask Rohit to open which would really please the Indian fans on here

Imagine the bowling will be sorted out for Melbourne but it is the batting letting them down...although Australia has similar problems so anything goes next week. I am looking forward to the match and hoping it won't be a dog of a pitch like last year...

Oh as expected it didn't take long today...convincing win for Australia. Much credit to them for coming back after the disappointment of Adelaide - I think Paine deserves praise for his leadership as well as the fine bowling work of Lyon and his pace bowling mates

Australia will take confidence from this...but I don't believe in "momentum" so regard the next game as wide open anyway...

I'm just relieved "we" are still in the series. And they did it with the new mindset on the field. That was another test within the Test.

Tim Paine captained well I thought - he's a decent guy and his words to Vihari caught on mike were pretty tame really... although there's still no need to bring personal relationships into the fray.  

I though Kohli's ton was a classic. No other player can focus so intensely with such style when batting; then switch over to chirping mode when in the field. I'm impressed. I do feel he was probably conned in terms of contributing to that team selection though. All the pitch hype was over the top (as usual) and a definite 'seed of doubt' planted in the minds of the Indian selectors because there was not much solid evidence to go on (apart from a Shield match and a T20) to make such a declaration on how it would perform. But the wicket did nonetheless behave very oddly (2nd session yesterday) and not at the expected early time on Day 1.

I also thought Kohli was a little too defensive with his field placings at times when Australia were struggling to get going and this let some players get away off to starts when he could have really heaped more fielding pressure on them. There was a time when he persisted with Umesh when Bumrah had just had the Aussies at 6s and 7s... which seemed to let them off the hook. Maybe he was trying to conserve Bumrah's energy and hoping the less threatening bowling would force an error? Anyway, it didn't work and Australia took an advantage which was crucial to the match outcome.

To summarise: gutsy team efforts from both sides. Some individuals are now under an even greater spotlight to perform better or else get the chop.

Surely the MCG curators will make sure we don't have a repeat of last year, Alfie? You've had some decent rain recently, yes?
Hopefully it will have another kind of life this year.

It should be a fascinating contest with more Aussie interest v the Greater Indian Diaspora... who will outnumber the locals in our 2 biggest cities!

Dear god who is going to open now?!

It Must Be Love wrote:Dear god who is going to open now?!

So the India XI for Melbourne for me would be

1) Parthiv +
2) Vijay
3) Pujara
4) Kohli
5) Rahane
6) Vihari
7) Pandya
8) Ashwin
9)Jadeja
10) Shami
11) Bumrah

Pant makes for Parthiv as an opner cum WK and Ind play 3 bolwing allrounders
If ashwin not fit replace with Bhuvi

Good win for Australia. I'm reading again in the comments on here that Jadeja not playing was the single most decisive factor in the game. No, not having that at all, India didn't get near to winning in the end and I'd put their bowling as the decisive factor. It was a hard pitch to bat on and Jadeja could easily have bagged a pair

VTR .. the argument with Jadeja is that he wouldve improve dthe bowling too.
Lyon took 8 of the 20 Indian wickets.

Whilst theres no garauntee that he wouldve bowled well not picking Jadeja was clearly an error both on the batting and bowling fronts. India wouldve had a stronger chance with him in the side.

As it was the margin between the teams was such that it may well not have been enough anyway yes. You cant say that India lost solely because they didnt pick him of course. Just as swapping Rohit for Vihari had zero impact despite the clamour from the armchair pundits.

So yes its wrong to say India lost because of that, but I still maintain its the one thing they couldve done differently that wouldve given them a serious chance in this game.

Its a very important win for Australia and their confidence, but they really should be winning tests against a weakened India at home. Itll shut up the ex players for a few days at least, especially as Kholi has managed to make himself a boo boy again with some petty squabbling on the field.

Australias superior bowling told in this game, and India's problems at the top and tail when players are injured were exposed. I dont see Pandya really helping with either issue...hes not good enough to bowl in a 4 man attack and not good enough to bat top 6.
If Austrlalia can keep their 4 star bowlers fit then they should be favourites for the remaining tests despite their own weak batting. For me Lyon has been the real star of the series so far, his wickets have been a real point of difference. Of the 4 hes the one you wouldve thought would be doing the supporting role, but so far hes been the main wicket taker. Thats pretty impressive for a spinner who isnt Warne in Australia.

Well we will never know. Its the result of hindsight as well, as everyone expected pace to be decisive, and lyon's bag of wickets was quite a surprise. So I can see the logic before the game of India unleashing a pace arsenal, and probably thinking that anyone other than front line batsmen would struggle to make runs

Anyway, nicely set up for the neutrals now

KP_fan wrote:

It Must Be Love wrote:Dear god who is going to open now?!

So the India XI for Melbourne for me would be

1) Parthiv +
2) Vijay
3) Pujara
4) Kohli
5) Rahane
6) Vihari
7) Pandya
8) Ashwin
9)Jadeja
10) Shami
11) Bumrah

Pant makes for Parthiv as an opner cum WK and Ind play 3 bolwing allrounders
If ashwin not fit replace with Bhuvi

Interesting idea, I like the deep batting line up, but disagree on a few counts. 
Pant is young and has played quite well so far, I would be reluctant to drop him. Ishant has also bowled well so I'd keep him in there, wouldn't play two spinners unless the pitch is clearly spin friendly (traditionally Sydney more than Melbourne?). 
Agree with decision to put Pandya at 7, he will be useful as I feel fatigue have hindered India's 4 bowlers attack in the first 2 tests.

Gooseberry wrote:
If Austrlalia can keep their 4 star bowlers fit then they should be favourites for the remaining tests despite their own weak batting. For me Lyon has been the real star of the series so far, his wickets have been a real point of difference. Of the 4 hes the one you wouldve thought would be doing the supporting role, but so far hes been the main wicket taker. Thats pretty impressive for a spinner who isnt Warne in Australia.

Lyon has been absolute class, fully agree. Australia are slight favourites for the rest of the series, but it will be very close. Toss could be key. Bumrah's performance will give India a lot of hope- he was exceptional at times in the second test, and on another day could have easily got a 5 wicket haul in the second innings.

I reckon this will be what Kohli chooses for next test in Melbourne:
Agarwal Rohit Pujara Kohli Rahane Pant Vihari Ashwin Sharma Shami Bumrah 

I don't think Pandya will be in for Melbourne as he only recently recovered from injury, he'll be back for Sydney imo.

alfie wrote:Oh as expected it didn't take long today...convincing win for Australia.  Much credit to them for coming back after the disappointment of Adelaide - I think Paine deserves praise for his leadership as well as the fine bowling work of Lyon and his pace bowling mates  

Australia will take confidence from this...but I don't believe in "momentum" so regard the next game as wide open anyway...

As regulars will know, I'm hugely supportive of the Lyon King* although I would have been tempted here to give the MotM to Paine. Definitely a handy personal contribution (75 match runs in a pretty low scoring game along with 6 catches) but, more significantly, his leadership and example in a fine team performance.

* A very good delivery in praise of Lyon from msp the other day to shatter Nathaniel's stumps. Just save some energy though, my cyber friend, for better batsmen!

It Must Be Love wrote:I reckon this will be what Kohli chooses for next test in Melbourne:
Agarwal Rohit Pujara Kohli Rahane Pant Vihari Ashwin Sharma Shami Bumrah 

I don't think Pandya will be in for Melbourne as he only recently recovered from injury, he'll be back for Sydney imo.

I am afraid you may be right.....
I am further afraid.....Kohli might push Pujara to be one of the openers....and move Rahane or Vihari to 3...in order to accommodate Rohit in the No. 5 or 6 slot:shock:

Kohli may have other strengths as a captain....but his glaring weakness as a captain include:
--Not being a great judge of talent...and often times getting befooled by limited over skills of players

--Not covering the down-side in trying to follow his " lopsided aggressive template"

I believe and very strongly.....Kohli & India would greatly benefit if we have an Andy Flower like coach in skills / personality & empowerment

Kumble was a very sensible person at the job. But Kohli wanted a yes man, who has said no to Kohli only when he was asked not to always say yes to him!

The Brat has insisted that an all seam attack was absolutely perfect for the track, and that everything had gone to plan!! Stupid clown!

I wouldn't rule Rohit out if the track is anything like the one for the last Ashes test where any Rohit, Dick and Harry can bat for 10 days! If it is a lively track, Sharma might be inflicted on us only in the 4th test.

VVS Laxman believes KL Rahul has lost the ability to build a test innings. Aakash Chopra believes Rahul is troubled by issues that are in the mind as much as by technical ones. In any case he is been far too inconsistent throughout 2018. Will the year end with him being dropped? He really can't complain if that happens.
Now that he's selected, Agarwal should be given an opportunity, and regardless of his performance, should get the remaining 2 tests. Vijay should be given one last opportunity, and though he seemed just that little bit more secure than Rahul, that isn't saying much.
Ashwin should be back only if he's absolutely back to fitness. Else there is a more than capable replacement in Jadeja. In fact, with the SCG historically giving more to the spinners, if there is any little doubt on Ashwin, I would hold him off, and play both in the final test. For MCG I would go in with
Vijay
Agarwal
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Vihari
Pant
Jadeja
Ishant
Shami
Bumrah
For the final test, I would have Ashwin back for one of the quicks, and play Hardik in place of possibly Vihari or Vijay. Or, have Ashwin batting 6, Jadeja 7 and Pant 8.

msp83 wrote:I wouldn't rule Rohit out if the track is anything like the one for the last Ashes test where any Rohit, Dick and Harry can bat for 10 days! If it is a lively track, Sharma might be inflicted on us only in the 4th test.

CI>>MCG drop-in pitch to be upgraded to Perth standard

Looks like they will drop in some fast-fibres into the already drop-in MCG pitch

Sanjay Manjrekar wrote a very interesting articl3e on cricinfo today, calling for Hanuma Vihari to be converted into a test opener and giving Mayank Agarwal a long net session so that his Instincts would become Australia and then perhaps be considered for the last test. He criticised the team management a bit for their selections, called for Ravindra Jadeja to be picked of Ravichandran Ashwin for this test as the latter is returning from injury and may not be hundred percent. But the point of the entire article was in the last line, wherein he presented his 11 for MCG! He opens with Vijay and Vihari, Pujara, Kohli and Rahane from 3 to 5, Pant with the gloves, Jadeja, Ishant, Shami and Bumrah in charge of the bowling unit, and yes, you guessed it right, The Liability From Mumbai at 6. Sanjay hopes that the pitch will remain flat and The Wonder can score a few there.
Ominous, considering Kohli's mind would work on similar logic when it comes to inflicting Rohit on the team...

Hi msp.....this is one test where there are many permutations possible....lets zero-in the ones who are firm first

1) *Open
2)**Open
3) Pujara
4) Kohli
5) Rahane
6) ***Open
7) Pant
8) Jadeja ( or ashwin if he has recovered
9) Ishant
10) Shami
11) Bumrah

--any 2 of Mayank, Vihari, Rohit and Vijay are likely to open
--No.6 is a toss between any 1 of Vihari, Rohit or Pandya

Bloody Rohit has a double dip

My personal choice would be Rohit & Mayank for opening and Vihari for No.6.......but knowing Kohli ( or not knowing him).......all permutations are possible

This obsessive vitriol against Rohit is getting a bit silly, alright it's obvious he's not good in tests when the conditions aren't batting friendly, but both Vijay and Rahul have an awful average over the past year too, worse than Rohit. 
If Melbourne is judged to be a good track for batting, I'd seriously consider Rohit at 6, with 2 of Vihari, Agarwal, or Vijay opening. 
Agree with Jadeja at 8 unless Ashwin is 100%. Ashwin really let India down at Southampton.

No reason for playing Vihari as an opener and playing Rohit at 6. Vihari isn't an opener at any senior level cricket. He has shown a much better temparement for the longer format than Rohit ever has.
Agreed Vijay and Rahul have failed for far too long, and the top order is struggling. So get in Agarwal a regular opener for one of them, and if both are to be changed, then use the ODI opener as a test opener and hope perhaps he'll transform himself just like he did in ODIs. If Rohit fails, there is no losses as the openers have anyways been failing, if clicks then that's all the gain. But in the middle order, he is likely to mean a promising position quickly transforming into a collapse.

Reckon whoever bats first at Melbourne will win (although it didn't turn out too well for Aus on Boxing Day 2010, if I recall).
Lots of talk on this site about India team selection. Is there, perhaps, a feeling that Kohli is a far better bat than he is captain?

No doubt Kohli the batsman is miles ahead of Kohli the captain.
Kohli the captain has his strength, and Kohli the batsman has become better because of Kohli the captain. But he can be really stupid and downright terrible with selections and team composition far too often. Kohli the batsman is a quick leaner, can't say that about Kohli the captain, this year itself he has had some really terrible selection calls, Kuldeep at The HQ, no spinner at Perth, Unfit Ashwin at Northampton, Dropping Rahane in South Africa...

Meanwhie, Ravi Shastri has had a typical bigmouthed outburst that has some interesting pointers.
Virat had insisted that even if Ashwin was fully fit, they might still have gone in with an all pace attack for the Perth test. For once, Shastri, without quite realizing it seems, has contradicted Kohli. He suggested that Ravindra Jadeja has been carrying a shoulder injury even before the first test and that he was 70 80 present for Perth and that he wasn't selected because they didn't want to risk him at that stage. This statement creates more questionmarks. Why was there no info whatsoever on Jadeja's fitness levels at the beginning of the tour. Why was he taken along when he wasn't fully fit? Why wqas the injury kept a state secret all this time? What was Jadeja doing bowling long spells in the nets? Why was he used as the 12th man for the 2nd test and was made to field in the dep from where he had to put in long throws when he seemed to have a troubled shoulder?
Really troubling, the entire saga has been. The only good thing is that Shastri had to say something different to the Kohli line...

India are in all sorts of trouble here, if Ashwin doesn't recover full fitness, with Jadeja also at 70%. Australia clear favourites to win the series unless one of those two recover.

It Must Be Love wrote:India are in all sorts of trouble here, if Ashwin doesn't recover full fitness, with Jadeja also at 70%. Australia clear favourites to win the series unless one of those two recover.

If both are unfit.....Ind should play Kuldeep....and Bhuvi in place of Yadav and Ishant

India needs to have one of Bhuvi, Ishant or Jadeja at No. 8 with the bat....and as spinners go, Kuldeep can have many a PLUS over Jadeja and ashwin

I wouldn't take comments on fitness as gospel... a lot of smokescreens get thrown up during tight Test Series. Be surprised if we don't see either Ashwin or Jadeja in Melbourne - probably the latter. (He looked fine in the field in Perth)
More concern over the three dodgy batting spots. They need to get one or two right this time and I think there is a lot of guesswork involved.

Australia has a simpler task as the four bowlers pick themselves and the batsmen are all a bit more tradesman than artist so it doesn't really matter too much which combination they select. M Marsh might get a (very lucky) recall if it looks like another dead pitch - though if it is as dead as last year's became this Test is likely to be a draw whoever bowls...Actually suspect it might end up helping the spinners a bit late on - is likely to be hot. Just hope there is a bit in it for the pace men early on , like the Good Old Days...

The BCCI, that suddenly realized that Ravindra Jadeja was in fact unfit up to the 2nd test, has now declared him fit and available for the MCG test. Think the Jadeja story was just that, a story by coach Shastri to cover up for his and Captain Brat's failure! Virat did a pretty porr job of defending the no-spinner policy after the end of the match that Shastri had to produce something else, that on the surface of it at least, would seem remotely credible.
Has to be noted that Sitanshu Kotak, the Saurashtra coach has made it clear Jadeja was perfectly fine when he played the Ranji game for them before he departed for Australia. Jadeja had scored 178 not out and 48 not out and bowled 64 overs to take 7 wickets in the game to singlehandedly take his team home in a close contest.
As is the usual case, Shastri is talking loud without substance, just like his stupid claim that the current lot is the greatest Indian team ever to have taken the field, we have to ignore his Save the Face Story.

As for the playing side for the next test, think KL Rahul should be dropped and his good friend and Karnataka teammate Mayank Agarwal has to be brought in to make his debut. Murali Vijay should get one more chance, there is no point getting Rohit Sharma to open as he is not worth any further investment as a test cricketer at this stage of his career. Manjrekar's idea of opening with Vihari has to be dismissed with the contempt it deserves as the point of the idea is to bring Rohit into the test team through the backdoor.
Said that, it is difficult to get the combination in place. Vijay, Agarwal, Pujara, Kohli and Rahane should be fine at the top 5. Vihari has pretty much earned his chance at 6, but whether the track would require a 5th bowling option has to be thought through. If there is a bit of life in the track, then India should stick to 4 bowlers and Vihari with Umesh Yadav being replaced with Jadeja. But if it is going to be a dead track like the one for the Ashes test last year, then Hardik Pandya should come in for Vihari and Jadeja for Umesh. I would have Jadeja at 6, Pant 7 and Pandya 8. Not the most solid lineup, but on a flat track, they should be good enough. Jadeja's batting has considerably improved, but he's still a number 7 in my book. Pant and Pandya are ideal at 8 rather than top 7. Still, it has to be better than having 3 number 11s and Bumrah from 8 to 11. And certainly better than Vihari opening and Rohit at 6 that ruins both batting and bowling equally.

Indications are Marsh will play for Handscomb apparently to help protect the quicks.

India has announced the XI. Both the openers are dropped. Mayank and Rohit(nepotism wonder) made into the XI. Jadeja is in for Umesh. Seems like India will open with Mayank and Rohit. However there is chance of players shifting their position by one up the order i.e. Pujara may open with Agarwal. I hope India's batting woes ends here. MCG is going to be competitive.

KP_fan wrote:Hi msp.....this is one test where there are many permutations possible....lets zero-in the ones who are firm first

1) *Open
2)**Open
3) Pujara
4) Kohli
5) Rahane
6) ***Open
7) Pant
8) Jadeja ( or ashwin if he has recovered
9) Ishant
10) Shami
11) Bumrah

--any 2 of Mayank, Vihari, Rohit and Vijay are likely to open
--No.6 is a toss between any 1 of Vihari, Rohit or Pandya

Bloody Rohit has a double dip  

My personal choice would be Rohit & Mayank for opening and Vihari for No.6.......but knowing Kohli ( or not knowing him).......all  permutations are possible

Our Rohit and their Rohit ( Marsh M) are back
and we get a  team as close to the one I would have preferred except for seemingly Vihari & Rohit's batting places swapped.
BUT I will take that......and I believe we will win

msp83 wrote:The BCCI, that suddenly realized that Ravindra Jadeja was in fact unfit up to the 2nd test, has now declared him fit and available for the MCG test. Think the Jadeja story was just that, a story by coach Shastri to cover up for his and Captain Brat's failure! Virat did a pretty porr job of defending the no-spinner policy after the end of the match that Shastri had to produce something else, that on the surface of it at least, would seem remotely credible.
Has to be noted that Sitanshu Kotak, the Saurashtra coach has made it clear Jadeja was perfectly fine when he played the Ranji game for them before he departed for Australia. Jadeja had scored 178 not out and 48 not out and bowled 64 overs to take 7 wickets in the game to singlehandedly take his team home in a close contest.
As is the usual case, Shastri is talking loud without substance, just like his stupid claim that the current lot is the greatest Indian team ever to have taken the field, we have to ignore his Save the Face Story.

you are spot on msp

I personally think India have done a good job with selection this time.

Appalling! Seems Sanjay M had a hotline to Captain Brat. He has again bend over backwards to smuggle his buddy in. That too rapped in wool in the comforts of a middle order slot that seems his as a matter of birthrights! India set to open with Hanuma Vihari and debutant Mayank Agarwal with Rohit batting at 6. So after Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, young and promising Vihari is being messed about for Rohit Sharma who's calling card is that he's the captain's friend! Truly appalled!!

Now that he's inflicted, one can only hope that Rohit will show some gratitude and for once take things seriously, understanding he's playing a test match and not a dashing T-20I knock. Put his head down, apply himself and deliver a performance. For the rest of us, there is no other option but really pray the bloody fellow somehow succeed and manage an ODI like transformation, because his performances do not matter, he'll be there till he decides to retire from tests

Feel terrible for Hanuma Vihari though. He has everything to lose here and not much to gain. He's just a stopgap opener till Prithvi Shaw recovers. The middle order slot is Rohit's ancestral property, and if Vihari fails at the top of the order, that will always be held against him and to give priority to Rohit.

It is so pathetic that Rohit was brought back into the test side after being dropped for the England series on the back of only limited overs performances as he played not a single first class innings after that. His ODI success came at the top of the order, and yet they want to rap him in the comforts of a middle order slot here.

So it's looking like M Vijay's Test career has ended after his latest axing. KL Rahul doesn't seem to have much future at Test level either. Naturally Prithvi Shaw will return and is undisputed first choice. Fellow u19 sensation Shubman Gill followed up his monumental 268 with another 148 and it essentially breaking the door down. Agarwal seems to have only gotten an opportunity after everyone else failed or got injured. So is he in the Karun Nair school that Kohli doesn't want him?

Aged 26, it would be a big loss if Rahul didn't earn any more opportunities but he may well have to wait until Rahane retires and reinvent himself as a middle order player.

msp83 wrote: (Rohit) his performances do not matter, he'll be there till he decides to retire from tests

I don't see it that way at all. Rohit is in the team now because Shaw is injured and Pandya is not yet back to full fitness.
To reiterate my point earlier I think you're still being hyperbolic about how bad Rohit is. Melbourne is expected to be the flattest track of the series, he averages 54 in first class cricket and is world class at ODIs. He's not a suitable test player for India away from home on testing tracks, obviously.
Who would you play instead of Rohit given India's injury situation? By the way, Rohit opening would not be a good option at all as he'd probably get out cheaply against new ball and not protect Pujara and Kohli from it. Vihari is better suited to open.

One complaint I have about test matches in the recent past is how important winning the toss is. It was always important, but feels more so recently (will look into stats to see if evidence shows this).
I mean the pitch at Perth just went crazy on session 2 on Day 4, Aus lost 5 wickets for barely any runs and conditions were impossible for any batting line up to chase.

msp83 wrote:Feel terrible for Hanuma Vihari though. He has everything to lose here and not much to gain. He's just a stopgap opener till Prithvi Shaw recovers. The middle order slot is Rohit's ancestral property, and if Vihari fails at the top of the order, that will always be held against him and to give priority to Rohit.

Vihari will be OK...he will get runs at the top....Rohit's bets bet to score is if top order doesn't do very well....
else he is likely to face the 2nd new ball
But I think he too will be fine....
with Jaddu at 8 and Ishant can hang around at 9......atleast batting is OK

Odds are slightly in favour of Aus....but toss will be the key factor tonight

Reasonable selection all round , I think. Might not all work but that's another story...

If the pitch is as flat as last year it is all irrelevant - hopefully a bit more for the bowlers this time.

#playHandscomb

Slow progress today but India looking solid at 100/1 halfway through the day...
Quite impressed by Agarwal. Less so Vihari , who was all at sea against the short ball and doesn't look likely to be successful at the top of the order , though at least he hung around longer than the dropped pair have been managing. Pujara is just being Pujara.
Australia will be glad they've included the extra bowler.

Agarwal seems to want to attack Lyon. Just launched him for a nice six ...good tactic not to let him get too comfortable ; though it does include a measure of risk.