Richard Mann sets the scene for the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India with the series beautifully poised at 1-1.
Australia v India Third Test: Recommended bets
For many sports fans, the Boxing Day Test is synonymous with cricket and this year's offering promises to be one of the most intriguing in recent memory as an absorbing series between Australia and India rockets towards an explosive crescendo.
Australia - and Tim Paine in particular - deserve a huge amount for credit for bouncing back from defeat in Adelaide to win in Perth, levelling a series that one feels needs to go their way if their captain is to stay in his job and continue the good work he has done, both on and off the field, to repair the damage caused by the ball-tampering scandal and subsequent bans handed out to Steve Smith and David Warner.
Paine's outfit remain decidedly fragile, however, most notably with the bat, but do possess a bowling attack boasting serious pace and in Nathan Lyon, the best finger spinner in world cricket.
In openers Arron Finch and Marcus Harris, we have seen the shoots of a bright new future while Usman Khawaja gives Australia one genuine world-class batsman who must now take his game to the next level in order to elevate himself alongside the likes Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson.
Khawaja has the game, and certainly the talent, but big runs and the series-winning performances must now follow, much like we saw recently from Williamson in Dubai and Kohli in the first Test of this series in Adelaide.
Kohli's heated exchanges with Paine were a feature of the Perth Test, though for many Australians, the sight of their captain fronting up to the best batsman on the planet - and one of the most vocal opponents on the field - will have been a welcome sight.
Paine has been criticised for concentrating too hard on repairing the shattered reputation of Australian cricket off the field but while such efforts are admirable, and much needed, winning games of cricket and icon series' such as this are, ultimately, what he is paid to do and Perth was a welcome shot in the arm to his critics.
As for India, their excellent bowling attack continues to look after itself and with the likelihood of a frontline spinner returning to starting XI for Melbourne, - possibly Ravindra Jadeja - Kohli will be confident his side can take 20 Australian wickets again.
The batting, however, is a much graver cause for concern with only Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane looking comfortable against Australia's strong attack.
A fit-again Rohit Sharma would certainly help and though he has yet to really crack Test cricket, his white-ball exploits illustrate just what a terrific player he is. India need match winners right now and Sharma most certainly falls into that category.
For all both sides have failed to dominate with the bat so far in the series, Melbourne might give both sides the opportunity to do just that given how flat the drop-in MCG pitches have been in recent times.
The Ashes Test match played here last year was one of the flattest in living memory and the game finished in a dull draw - the only one of the series - after bowlers on both sides struggled find any assistance throughout the five days.
As such, the 9/2 on offer about the draw has very nearly lured me in but instead, I'm going to back Kohli to make a first innings century at 4/1.
The potential for a flat batting wicket makes this sort of bet more appealing than usual and given Kohli's dazzling record in Australia, - and his majestic 123 in arduous first innings conditions in Perth - sticking with the Indian skipper makes sense.
Furthermore, Kolhi made a sparkling 169 in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG back in 2014 and, as was the case in England last summer, he is usually a man to be relied upon when his country needs him most.
With series on the line, his hunger to deliver will be greater than ever.
As a cricket writer, 2017 has provided some wonderful memories on the field but is a year that I will remember very much as Kohli's.
For all his side haven't achieved the results their undoubted improvements have deserved, Kohli has conquered some of his biggest personal challenges as a batsman.
Kohli was simply sublime in South Africa and then breathtaking in England, firmly cementing his status as one of the greatest players of all time. By the time he finishes, he might well be the greatest of all time.
It would seem only fitting, and somewhat predictable, if Kohli ended 2017 in the same manner as the rest of the year; leading the Indian fight and on top of the world.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.
Posted at 1300 GMT on 24/12/18
