Australia vs India 2018-19: Australia's Predicted Playing XI for the 2nd Test
Tim Paine's men lost the first Test of the 4-match series by 31 runs and would be keen to bounce back in the 2nd game. The second Test match will take place in Perth and the pitch there could be expected to favour the Aussies more.
In the first Test, the bowlers were the lone shining spot of the Australian unit as not only did they bowl tight lines to the Indian batsmen but they also came up with vital contributions with the bat in the tail.
Shaun Marsh and Travis Head scored half-centuries but failed to convert them into a hundred.
The Australian team would be under immense pressure as losing another Test match would mean that they might not be able to lay their hands on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Here is the predicted playing XI of the Australian team for the 2nd Test:
Openers - Marcus Harris and Usman Khawaja
Aaron Finch opened the innings with debutant Marcus Harris in both the innings and the rookie played better than the experienced Finch. Finch could only score 11 runs in the second innings after being dismissed for a duck in the first innings.
A solid partnership at the top of the order was something that the Australian innings lacked and promoting Khawaja to the opener's position would surely make things better for the home side.
Usman Khawaja has shown solidity in the middle with his impressive defence and could help the Australian team by playing for at least 1-2 sessions. Also, Khawaja is a much better Test opener than Aaron Finch who is more of a T20 specialist. Marcus Harris showed some promise in his debut match and it would be harsh to axe the debutant after just one game.