Richard Mann previews the second Test between Australia and India in Perth where the hosts will be under pressure to claw their way back into the series.
Australia v India Second Test: Recommended bets
The crisis of Australian cricket added another chapter to its story when they were beaten by India in the opening Test of the summer Down Under last week.
Adelaide always promised to give visiting India a strong chance of making a winning start to the series and once again, winning the toss and getting ahead of the game with the bat meant Australia were always unlikely to chase down their target of 323 in the second innings.
As was the case in England, India's impressive seam attack came to the fore in Adelaide with Jaspirit Bumrah taking six wickets in the match and Mohammed Shami proving a constant threat with his skiddy pace and lateral movement.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin proved the perfect foil for the pace bowlers and his threat to Australia's left-handers will be giving captain Tim Paine and coach Justin Langer plenty to think about as the two sides prepare for the second Test in Perth on Friday morning.
The bookmakers can't split the two with both outfits hovering around the 5/4 mark and the draw, unsurprisingly, on the drift at 13/2.
As I stated in my series preview here last week, India have all the tools needed to win on these shores but, batting first and making some sort of a score is crucial and, as such, I'm happy to leave the outright betting until the match is in-play.
For instance, despite winning the toss and batting first in Adelaide, India were trading above the 2/1 mark at the end of day one when closing on 250/9. That total was by no means a big one but it was a score by modern-day standards and batting last against a spinner of Ashwin's class was always going to prove a tough ask for Australia.
With Nathan Lyon and an excellent trio of pace bowlers to call upon, Australia could easily do the same thing if able to get ahead of the game and bowl last in Perth. As such, I strongly advise punters to monitor the action and don't underestimate the task of chasing down a score against either of the quality attacks on show.
There is no doubt that Perth will suit the Australians better, especially speedsters Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, though the latter has endured a poor 12 months and will be hoping the prospect of a fast and bouncy surface to bowl on will help him find his very best form.
That said, the likes of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul play short, quick bowling very well - much more so than previous Indian touring teams - and with Paine and Langer both under pressure to turn around the dwindling fortunes of Australian cricket, Perth has the potential to be a watershed moment for both sides.
Should India manage to win again, they will be two up with two to play and be close to achieving something no other Indian side has managed to do before; win a Test series in Australia.
The opportunity before India is huge but with that comes added pressure and how they respond - Kohli in particular - will be fascinating to watch.
For Paine and Langer, it isn't overly dramatic to suggest that one of those men might face the axe should Australia lose this series, an iconic series at home.
In all probability, that man would be Paine, a fine gloveman who has done an admirable job since taking over the captaincy following the ball-tampering scandal, leading the side from the front on the field while carrying himself with dignity and class off it. A far cry from his predecessor, Steve Smith.
His batting remains underrated but since returning to the side for last year's Ashes, Paine has averaged a very respectable 35.07 with the bat from number seven and his heroics in Dubai ensured his side drew the first Test against Pakistan in October.
Should he be made a scapegoat for Australia's recent failings, it would be most unfair but in a business where results is the only currency that really matters, he will know just how important this upcoming Test match is.
Usman Khawaja was a strong fancy in the series preview to be Australian's leading runscorer and despite only making scores of 28 and 8 in Adelaide, I'm not about to lose faith with the classy Queenslander.
Khawaja has enjoyed a strong 2018 so far, particularly on the recent tour of Dubai, and his record in Perth is outstanding - 272 runs in three matches coming at an average of 68.00.
As well as making a wonderful hundred against New Zealand back in 2015, Khawaja struck a superb 97 against a strong South African attack a year later.
Though this will be Australia's first taste of Test cricket at Perth's new stadium, expectations are that all the famous traits of the the old WACA ground - lightening pace and steep bounce - will be on offer here, conditions that suit Khawaja's game so well.
A fine player off the back foot, particularly the horizontal bat shots,- Khawaja will get full value for his strokes here and should find Ashwin's off-spin less of a threat than he did in Adelaide.
With plenty in his favour, and his Australian batting colleagues still struggling to find their way, I'm keen to side with Khawaja again, this time for top Australia first innings runscorer at 10/3.
Posted at 1335 GMT on 12/12/18.
