IND vs AUS 2022-23, 2nd Test: India to watch out of top-order woes in Cheteshwar Pujara's 100th Test

Wicketkeeper-opener KL Rahul's prolonged run of failures remains a worry. However, India will still start as overwhelming favourites for another three-day finish when they take on Australia in the second Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Friday. The match will be one of Indian cricket's understated top-order warrior Cheteshwar Pujara's 100th Test, achieved after 13 years of sweat and toil.

While Pujara would like to savour the momentous personal milestone with a 20th Test ton, one can't but paper over the concerns around India's top order. Save skipper-sum-opener Rohit Sharma was regal in attack and classical in defence during his hundred on a slow turner in Nagpur.

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The others should have gotten going in the opener. Besides Rahul, the list of strugglers includes the peerless former skipper Virat Kohli and, to an extent, Pujara. Kohli leaves no stone unturned to up the ante while facing the spinners. Round two of Kohli versus Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy could be equally enticing.

Rahul and his woes
Time is running out for Rahul as Kohli's heir apparent, young opener Shubman Gill, is waiting in the wings despite being in prime form. Having wasted so many opportunities in his 46-Test career with a below-par average of 34, it will be interesting to see what call is taken by the Indian team management if the 30-year-old Karnataka man endures another failure before the squad for the last couple of Tests is announced.

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With senior all-rounders Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja putting enormous pressure on the Australians during the hosts' total innings win in Nagpur, one can confidently say that another slow turner will greet the visitors in Delhi. Unless Australia bats out of its skin, it won't even be able to stretch it to the fifth day.

After the initial moisture dries up, the Delhi tracks turn as dead as a dodo. India head coach Rahul Dravid had no hesitation in admitting that in the recent past, it has been the middle-order troika of Ravindra Jadeja, the now-injured wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and the fit-again Shreyas Iyer that has bailed the team out on most occasions.

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Even in the opening Test, it was left to the duo of all-rounders Axar Patel and Jadeja to out-bat Australia. The Kotla pitch promises to be a touch slower than Nagpur. Hence, the Indian batters must follow their skipper's template and employ a judicious blend of attack with defence. With a shorter boundary on one side, Australia skipper Pat Cummins will be wary of bringing in Nathan Lyon from the Old Pavilion end, as the leg side boundary would be barely 60 metres.

Shreyas Iyer or one more game for SKY
Iyer has completed his rehab after suffering a lower back injury. Per the current team management convention, players performing before getting injured would get their place in the playing XI. Dravid said, "If Iyer can take the workload of a five-day Test, he will walk into the side."

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If anyone knows Dravid, the operatives are always between the lines. Iyer has yet to play competitive cricket for more than 30 days, and will it be risky to throw him straight into a Test match even before checking his match fitness? That's a tough call. In the case of Suryakumar Yadav, more than being Iyer's replacement, India is looking at him replicating Pant's cavalier approach in the middle-order as KS Bharat is more of a keeper who can also bat decently.

Will Warner get another chance?
Swashbuckling veteran Australian opener David Warner's lean patch in Test matches has been a concern for Australia. How seamer Mohammed Shami sent his off-stump cartwheeling didn't make for a pretty picture, and whether he gets another chance remains to be seen.

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Having already brought in another left-arm spinner Matt Kuhneman into the squad, it will also be interesting to see whether Australia decide to go with three tweakers. Senior seamer Mitchell Starc, if fit, could replace pacer Scott Boland, as the Delhi pitch, with no tangible help off the surface, could seriously dent the confidence of the burly Victorian.

Teams
India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (wk), Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav, Umesh Yadav and Ishan Kishan (wk).
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey (wk), Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscombe (wk), Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Lance Morris, Mitchell Swepson, Todd Murphy, Josh Hazlewood (unavailable), Cameron Green (unavailable) and Mitchell Starc (from 2nd Test).

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Where to watch
Date and day: February 17-21, 2023 (Friday-Tuesday)
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
Time: 9.30 AM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and other Star Sports regional language channels - Also available in HD
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar

(With inputs from PTI)