Australia vs India 2018-19: Can India win the second Test match?

The Indian team has shown tremendous character in the last couple of decades if it comes to the longest version of the game. Not only the Indian batsmen but also the bowlers have proved their prowess, especially in the Indian subcontinent. On a contrary though, the batsmen and the spin bowlers have struggled in away conditions and that has been a prime reason why the Men in Blue have not been successful in such conditions on a consistent basis. The India-Australia battle on the cricket field has always been a blockbuster, attracting spectators from all parts of the world.

The on-going Test match series is no exception to the above-said fact, after a close win for the Indians in the first match, the Kangaroos look in a dominant position after the penultimate day's play of the second Test match. The former would still fancy their chances, hoping for a Pant storm that may blow the Aussies, as it almost blew the English team in the final Test of the recently concluded India-England Test series.

However, Nathan Lyon will pose a serious threat to the Indian batsmen as he has been generating an enormous amount of turn and bounce throughout the series. Moreover, the day five pitch of Perth will be an added advantage for the Aussie off-spinner.

Another point to bother for the Men in blue is the fact, that this is the last recognized batting pair for the visitors and the absence of Ravi Ashwin would mean that the tailenders will follow the current batting pair.

On the other hand, Hanuma Vihari has got a golden opportunity up his sleeve to showcase his talent at the highest level against a quality bowling attack in tough batting conditions. The right-handed batsman is fairly inexperienced along with his southpaw batting partner Rishabh Pant. The hosts would be immensely happy to see the back of the dangerous looking Ajinkya Rahane before the closure of play on Day four and will try to wrap up the Indian innings as soon as possible.

Indians would be relying on the fact that the lanky fast bowler Ishant is no mug with bat and can hang on with either Pant or Vihari to fortify the bleak chances of an Indian Win. The only positive in the long Indian tail is that Mohammed Shami has a solitary half-century to his name against the mighty English bowling attack in their backyard and can strike a few hefty blows if Vihari and Pant get India within touching distance.

It will be interesting to see whether India can replicate the likes of the Chandigarh Test of 2010, where the masterclass of VVS Laxman led India to a thrilling one-wicket win against the Kangaroos. The batting conditions will be the contrast betwixt the two games and the powerful Australian bowling attack will make the conditions even worse for the Visitors.

The key to the game lies in the Pant-Vihari partnership and the first session of the day. If the duo survives the first session, India is surely in with a chance to take an invincible lead in the series.