India's probable 12-man squad for the Boxing Day Test match
After losing the Perth Test, India will be looking to get back into winning ways when they step back into action at MCG on boxing day. If India desires to win the MCG Test then they primarily need to address their opening combination woes and find a quick fix.
Their bowling unit comprising the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Ishant Sharma has been highly consistent ever since the start of the high voltage Test series Down Under.
It has been the failure of the batting department that paved the way for the downfall of the Indian team in the series so far, especially in the second Test at Perth. Skipper Virat Kohli had to endure criticism for selecting 4 fast bowlers in the last match instead of choosing a spinner in the XI. Australia's spinner, Nathan Lyon winning the man of the match award in the last match gave further impetus to the critics.
One of the primary areas of concern for Team India has been the failure of their openers consistently. This has significantly dented the team's prospects on multiple occasions in recent times and has exposed the middle order frequently to the brand new ball. The number 3 batsmen, Cheteshwar Pujara has more often than not arrived at the crease before the first five overs of the Indian innings and had to play the role of opener circumlocutorily.
Traditionally MCG has been relatively batting friendly when compared to other Australian Test venues. India managed to draw their last Test match at this venue back in 2014 on the back of magnificent centuries from Captain Virat Kohli and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane.
India's Test record at MCG:
Till now India have played 12 matches at the iconic ground and have won only 2 matches. They lost 8 of their matches to Australia and managed to draw 2 matches. Their last victory at MCG came way back in 1981.
India's possible 12-man squad for the third Test match:
One or both the two struggling openers might be dropped for the upcoming Test as their performance has been dismal so far in this series. India might be tempted to slot in emerging Mayank Agarwal into the XI as one of the openers.
There are high chances that India might use either Hanuma Vihari or Cheteshwar Pujara as the openers as both of them looked quite comfortable against fast bowlers as opposed to both Murali Vijay and KL Rahul. Promoting Vihari up the order might let India play either Rohit Sharma or Hardik Pandya at number 6 position in the line-up.
Ravindra Jadeja might get the nod ahead of Kuldeep Yadav and Ashwin, who has been facing recurring fitness issues these days.
12-member squad - Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant(wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah.