Australia vs India 2018-19: 3 probable changes for India in Boxing Day Test

India began the series with a thrilling win at Adelaide. Hanuma Vihari and Umesh Yadav replaced the injured duo of Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin during the second Test at Perth. The changes did not quite work as Australia cruised to victory to level the series.

The second Test had the same old story as the top-order and lower-order batters failed to contribute to the team total. The third Test will start on Boxing Day at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Mayank Agarwal and Hardik Pandya have been included in the squad to offset injuries to key players. Let us take a look at three possible changes that India might make in the third Test at Melbourne.

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#3 Replacing Hanuma Vihari with Hardik Pandya

An all-rounder like Hardik Pandya, who can bowl fast and be handy with bat, will be a crucial member in the team. India had been missing his services in recent times. With his affinity to hit the ball hard, his batting skills could work on seam-friendly pitches.

Hardik was instrumental in India's lone Test win during their tour of England this year. After being out of action due to injury, he returned by scalping 7 wickets in a match (including a 5-wicket haul in the first innings) against a strong batting line-up of Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. The right-hander also scored 73 runs in the only innings he played.

Aside from being inexperienced with the bat, Hanuma Vihari is not a big turner of the ball and does not get much bounce from the pitch. It is highly likely that skipper Kohli would want an all-rounder to lend balance to the lineup.

#2 Replacing either KL Rahul or Murali Vijay with Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal is in line for a possible Test debut at the MCG

Both Murali Vijay and KL Rahul have had a forgettable series. They also did not fare well in the Test series against England too. The latter mustered some runs into his bag by scoring 149 runs in the final innings at the Oval following a string of low scores. The former has collected just 282 runs in the 15 innings he played this year. It won’t be surprising if India drop Vijay instead of Rahul in the third test at MCG.

Mayank Agarwal got a Test call-up after Prithvi Shaw was ruled out of the entire tour with an ankle injury. He has been in the news for a long time for his dream run in the domestic matches.

Agarwal has scored 2162 runs in 32 innings with an average of 67.56 in the 2017-18 season. The Karnataka opener has amassed 3599 runs in 46 first-class matches including 8 centuries and 20 half-centuries. The 27-year-old lad has got a solid chance to make his Test debut in Melbourne.

#1 Replacing Umesh Yadav with Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar offers steady seam bowling and handy lower-order batting

At Perth, skipper Virat Kohli stepped into the field with four quicks. India picked Umesh Yadav over Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the second Test and the move did not quite work in the team's favour.

Umesh was erratic with his line and length and hence could not put pressure on the Australian batsmen. He released pressure when Bumrah, Ishant and Shami were putting together probing overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is not as quick as Umesh, can bowl a tight line and swing the ball both ways. His batting can add substance to the feeble lower-order as well. If India once again try their four-pacer strategy on a likely green pitch, they may replace Umesh with Bhuvneshwar.