Batting improvement key for Australia as they seek parity in Perth

Overview

**Australia v India, 2nd Test**Perth Stadium, Perth
Friday, 14 December, 10.20am local, 2.20 am GMT

The hosts will be pleased with their bowling returns in Adelaide, particularly from Nathan Lyon. The off-spinner, who clinched a five-wicket haul in India's second innings, consistently troubled the batsmen, and continued to underline his importance in the home side's attack.

That said, in seam-friendly conditions in Perth, it's the pacemen who will be crucial, and if Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, who picked up four and five wickets respectively in the first game, can carry on their wicket-taking form, Australia have reasons to be confident.

But while Australia's bowlers went toe to toe with India's, their batting performance was underwhelming. Aaron Finch is struggling for form, and his failure in each innings only heaped pressure on the middle order.

The home side will be desperate to improve on the batting front, and if they can do that, they have every reason to be confident, especially given India's own concerns.

The visitors will be without Ravichandran Ashwin – the off-spinner who picked six wickets in Adelaide – Rohit Sharma and Prithvi Shaw, all of whom are injured. The absence of Shaw means KL Rahul and M Vijay will have another opportunity to impress at the top of the order.

While Rahul did that to an extent in the second innings in Adelaide, question marks hang around Vijay, who was dismissed for 11 and 18 in his two outings in the first Test.

It is their pacemen who won them the first Test, though. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma picked up 14 wickets over two innings, and they will hope to continue their sizzling form in favourable conditions in Perth.

The only concern is fatigue – India's four-bowler strategy left the pacemen with plenty to do in Adelaide, and it remains to be seen whether India stick with that. Both Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been included in the 13-man squad announced on the eve of the match, and one of them could be included in the final XI.

Key players

**Virat Kohli (India):**The Indian captain scored an important 34 with the bat in the third innings of the first Test, but such are the lofty standards he has set himself, the lingering feeling was that it was an underwhelming innings, especially considering he has previously scored three centuries in Adelaide. He will want to make his mark in Perth.

**Usman Khawaja (Australia):**With 601 runs in eight matches at an average of 49.92, Khawaja is Australia's leading run-scorer in Tests this year. The left-hand bat is a vital cog for the home side, especially given the inexperience of the middle order, and India will be desperate to dismiss him early.

ConditionsPerth is expected to be typically hot on Friday, with the temperature rising to 36°C. That said, scattered showers are forecast on the third day. The pitch is, traditionally, full of pace and bounce and the fast bowlers are expected to have a riot.

Squads

Australia: Tim Paine( c), Mitchell Marsh, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Chris Tremain

India: Virat Kohli (c), M Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav