As Australia set up shop in Delhi for the second Test, we take a look at some burning issues for the tourists to consider.
Who should open?
The idea that Travis Head should open the batting as it would give him time to be in before spin comes on is good in theory – until Indian skipper Rohit Sharma tosses Ravichandran Ashwin the new ball. As modest as David Warner’s record is in India, it would take a considerable leap of faith for anyone who has watched the South Australian bat in the nets over here to pick him over the veteran. It would defy logic if Head were to be seen as a saviour just days after being deemed not good enough to be in the XI. The swagger and bullishness Warner has displayed for much of his career is now harder to detect, but he is still the better prospect in these conditions.
Travis Head was left out of the XI for the first Test.Credit:Getty Images
Should Cameron Green play?
What Australia do with their star all-rounder will give you a guide as to the desperation inside the camp. Coming back from a broken finger, Green is bowling at top speed, but he is not facing pace in the nets and is catching a rubber ball in fielding drills. If he plays, he will most likely be out in the deep away from his customary position at gully. The safer bet is to wait another week, but Green is vital to the balance of the side, and the trophy is on the line now.
Cameron Green celebrates one of his five wickets on Boxing Day.Credit:Getty Images
Australia’s spin bind
Todd Murphy’s stunning debut has left selectors with a dilemma. Having seen the threat posed by Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, Australia would dearly love a left-arm finger-spinner in the XI, but to fit the uncapped Matthew Kuhnemann selectors would need to dump either Nathan Lyon or man of the moment Murphy. It won’t happen. The other option is to pick three front line tweakers and play just the one fast bowler, but this hinges on Green’s availability as a second seam option.
Deceptive margin?
As crushing as defeat was for the visitors, it’s worth remembering they were in the contest until the final 90 minutes of the second day when Jadeja and Patel turned the game with the bat. If Jadeja had been taken on 22, or an umpire’s call gone their way when he was on 38, India’s lead may have been well under 100 and Australia in the game. India’s bowlers are also back in the field without an extra night’s sleep to recover. Yes, there are plenty of ifs, buts and maybes, but that’s the mental approach Australia need to take.
India’s Ravichandran Ashwin celebrates the wicket of Pat Cummins with Ravindra Jadeja.Credit:AP
The pitch
Play the ball, not the pitch. That was a cheeky message from Ashwin and Sharma in response to the focus on the first Test deck at Nagpur. It was directed more at Australian media than Pat Cummins’ dressing room, though it could also apply to the team. There were murmurs last week the Australians were spooked by the appearance of the surface to the point they believed 30 would be a good knock and the match would finish in three days. How prophetic they were. The pitch in Delhi will again be the subject of much interest.
