The amount of grass on the surface and the loss of Ashwin means India could well opt to play four fast bowlers. Earlier this year, Virat Kohli fielded an all-seam attack in Johannesburg on a pitch that was conducive to fast bowling, a decision that turned out to be a masterstroke as India defeated South Africa by 63 runs.

While the Optus Stadium pitch might not be as treacherous, the absence of Ashwin means the fourth bowling spot will be a battle between Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav. Given Bhuvneshwar's ability with the willow and the nature of deck, the swing maestro is the warm favourite to play in the XI. The other option is to play Ravindra Jadeja.

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On the other side of the coin, a sight of a quick pitch will have the likes of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc licking their lips. But while India are likely to head down the channel of playing four fast bowlers, Nathan Lyon will be a certain starter for the hosts. The challenge for Australia is, can their batsmen conjure up sufficient runs against the Indian bowlers, who are high on confidence.

Big test for Aussie batters
The hosts have an awful record in recent times on pitches that have aided seam movement and without Steven Smith or David Warner, it will be a huge test for this inexperienced batting line-up.

Ten years ago, all the hype in the lead-up to the 2008 Perth Test was about the pitch, but it was the superior skills of the Indian batsmen that dictated the result. Like then, the fortunes in the second Test could well be decided by the team which bats better.

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