After a rampant conquest of the mighty Aussies at Nagpur, Team India has set sail for the Arun Jaitley Stadium as the nation gears up for the second trial by fire with Australia famished for retribution after an innings defeat in the curtain-raiser.
India extended their clinical form in Tests to another glistening chapter, adding some boisterous sheen to their victory as the visitors were left broken, beaten and bruised. However, there will be a few kinks that will need ironing out as the titans collide again.
The Men in Blue will have a detailed look at their middle-order that seemed extremely shaky before Jadeja came forth with the rescue act wherein the opening duo would also need some serious attention after extended blues from KL Rahul.
The addition of Shreyas Iyer to the squad midway in the series can very well be an indication of a customary shuffle to stabilize the Indian ship and provide some valuable assistance to the lower middle-order that was rock solid in the face of the Aussie invasion.
Australia, on the contrary, will be hoping to get someone in the center to play the balancing act and provide the much-needed bookend to two of their finest batters, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith who tried their very best to keep the Aussie ship afloat in the opener but was overwhelmed by the Indian bowling incursions.
They will also be relieved to welcome back Mitchell Starc to the squad that will get them someone to move the cherry early in the innings, a factor that really didn’t happen at all, allowing Rohit Sharma to make some early merry against a hapless Australian pace triptych.
No matter the history, what would matter is how the two teams react to the available conditions, given the fact that they are respective juggernauts in their own capacity with some serious firepower glistening from afar.
