Ruthless war to a fencing contest: Rahul-Jaiswal tame fickle Perth to thrive in the calm after storm
Australia have marketed, and designed the ins and outs of the Optus Stadium to project it as one of the most intimidating places for an overseas team, with their imperious record at the venue so far reflecting the same.
A Colosseum-esque stadium resembling a cauldron to bake the opposition players in, a vast outfield, and a massive capacity is more than enough for visiting sides to not feel at home at all.
Although the empty seats dampen the hostile vibe just a touch, a spicy pitch becomes the balancing act to drive that precious home advantage home. It is no coincidence that this venue was chosen to host the first Test of the series, for the need was to send an early message after two consecutive home series losses.
Australia's plan did work to perfection for a while when they shot India out for 150 in the first innings. However, their own out-of-form batters ensured that the ploy backfired when they collapsed to 67/7.
If the first day, which historically witnessed the fall of 17 wickets, was a raging war, with ball spitting up from the surface, protractors being kept out to measure the seam movement, and batters having to treat the red cherry as a bullet, then Day 2 was a contrasting image to that.
The competitive spirit was still there, but the pitch, perhaps in fear of a demerit point, chose to be a docile version of itself compared to the brazen rendition just a day back. Perhaps it was the roller, perhaps the lack of sting by the bowlers, or something part of natural pitch-wearing, but the circumstances meant that Day 2 was more of a fencing contest. Intricate, probing, but still deadly.
India make Australia's terrible start to their home summer, even worse
India's perennial issue with wiping out the tail was on show yet again as Australia dragged their first innings score past the 100-run mark, despite Bumrah striking in the second over of the day to dismiss Alex Carey.
Mitchell Starc playing out over 100 deliveries in an innings, and being involved in a verbal exchange (light-spirited by Australian standards) with someone 12 years his junior was not on anyone's bingo card. Starc may have ended up bowling faster than Harshit Rana, but his figures read 12-2-43-0 in the second innings, a reflection of how powerless he was with the ball even with his threats and promises while batting.
However, it is difficult to pin the blame on the left-arm seamer, when his compatriots suffered the same fate as well. Starc and Hazlewood were toothless with the new ball as Rahul-Jaiswal exercised caution. The pair's growth in confidence was inverse to that of the Australian bowlers.
It was not late before the strokes came out, particularly the flamboyance of Jaiswal. A picture-perfect cover drive, and an audacious slog to square leg all make it to his catalogue, with his 'too slow' sledge to Starc arguably being the red cherry on the cake.
Jaiswal's strong game square off the wicket was nothing unknown, but to watch it in a place where such a style is meant to be played in, is a refreshing sight.
KL Rahul did KL Rahul things, which in written form seems too simple because it has been used in a negative context too often now, but it reflects the pure application that the majority of the batters do not possess in their armory.
Channeling his inner Pujara to an extent, Rahul looked rock solid throughout the match, and has not been shy to bring out the strokes whenever necessary. He has been exceptional through the covers with his drives, but the cream of the crop was arguably the straight drive off Pat Cummins.
Did anyone read the Perth pitch right?
When Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and opted to bat first, he attributed the decision to the fact that the wicket gets quicker as the game progresses. After the end of the day's play, Mitchell Starc had also warned that there are chances of the cracks opening up on Day 2, making it a repeat of the first day.
Even Western Australia local, the legendary Adam Gilchrist had mentioned that the pitch will quicken up. That leaves the possibility of everyone being wrong about it or Day 2 being an aberration.
The surprising aspect is that given that the pitch and outfield are not dry and abrasive, the ball retains its shine and shape for much longer, making the new ball effective for almost a session and a half. But, barring a few deliveries that seamed off the surface, something which the Indian batters were well-equipped to deal with, there was nothing on offer for the Australian seamers.
There was not much difference between Australia's bowling display in terms of the areas they were trying to hit, and the intensity, but the lack of assistance from the pitch made a whole load of difference.
A graphic showed the stark difference in the color of pitch between the two days. A tinge of brown, prevalent in the subcontinent pitches has set in, perhaps after being baked in the sun over two days now.
Given the change in conditions, there is no chance India will be able to skittle out Australia for a subpar total again, which means that judging the right target for the fourth innings will be one of the biggest tasks on their hands (South Africa chased down 414 in Perth back in 2008).
Luckily, they have enough time and wickets to figure that out, with Australia's potential threat with reverse swing and new ball being the minor headaches to look forward to.
What more does KL Rahul need to do to not be a pawn?
It was in Australia that Rahul lost credibility as an opener for the first time in his career, in fact at this very venue. After being dismissed by Josh Hazlewood twice for 2 and 0, he had to make way for his state teammate Mayank Agarwal, who made his debut in the Boxing Day Test, with Rahul watching from the bench.
Since then, he has had a second run as an opener, a run in the middle order, and now back as a make-shift candidate at the top.
In the majority of opening chess moves, it is the pawn that is moved first, and sacrificed if necessary. Similarly, in any scenario that involves a batting shuffle, it is KL Rahul who has to pave the way for the sake of the team.
Rahul's visual of leaving the ball with the bat assuredly rested behind the pad may not go down in folklore as a powerful image, but it has a profound impact on India's fate. It is the first form of resistance that India have against the Australian bowlers, and that goes a long way.
He has played out over 200 deliveries so far across both innings, and has hardly been flustered. The only time he even looked close to being uncomfortable was while trying to fend off a short ball off Marnus Labuschagne in the final over of the day, and that surmises the proceedings in a nutshell.
He has shown assurance and command right from the start, and it might just be the time that everyone else revolves around him, rather than the other way round.
Irrespective of how this Test turns out from India's perspective, they have shown enough promise with both bat and ball for two crucial questions to be raised, and they are oddly concerned with Rohit Sharma, who is yet to land in Australia.
The Indian skipper has been selfless with his intent on so many occasions in the past, it might be time for him to display the same selfless trait in a different manner. Based on India's showing so far, the odds of Rohit Sharma performing the task of captaining and opening the innings have plummeted.