5 Notable Statistics From The First Two Tests

#4 No top seven batsmen averaging over 30 has had a strike-rate over 50

Pujara's watchful approach has helped him become the series leading run-scorer

Australia used to be a country where runs were scored quickly. This was in part due to the attacking mentality Australia favoured, but also because of the quick pitches, where batsman were given full value for their shots.

However, drop-in pitches, like those in the first two Tests, and like the one in Melbourne, have meant that this has changed. No longer do Australian pitches have the pace they once did, and it is now seen that a more measured approach benefits batters the best.

Excluding Lyon, who averages 76 courtesy of three not outs, six batsmen currently average above 30 in the series: Pujara, Kohli, Rahane, Travis Head, Marcus Harris and Tim Paine. Of these six batters, Rahane has the highest strike-rate at 49.70, while Pujara has the lowest at 39.36.

It is perhaps telling that the three batsmen with a strike-rate of 50 or above, excluding tail-enders, are Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Pant. These three have struggled so far, although as previously mentioned, there are caveats for Pant.

But it has been notable that Rahul has constantly fallen to the drive when the players who have thrived have been much more judicious with their choice of the stroke.

Pujara, the leading run-scorer in the series, is the prime example of this. In his brilliant 123 in Adelaide, India lost their first four batsmen edging drives. Pujara saw this and almost entirely refused to play the shot for the bulk of his innings.

Pujara's success in Adelaide suggests not only that batsman may have to be more patient than they are used being in Australia, but also that reading the pitch quickly is paramount. This will certainly be the case in Melbourne, where the groundsmen are trying to create a very different pitch from last year.