Australia Takes a Bold Step, Will India Follow Suit?

However, after December 26, all attention will shift to cricket. Both teams have had the opportunity to evaluate their strategies and make adjustments. This will be the perfect moment to implement any necessary changes.

In that regard, Australia has already made their move. The hosts have dropped opener Nathan McSweeney and brought in exciting young talent Sam Konstas. Fast bowlers Jhye Richardson and Sean Abbott have also joined the squad, while all-rounder Beau Webster, who was added prior to the second Test in Adelaide, keeps his place.

The Konstas move stems from the fact that their top order has struggled to put pressure back on the Indians. McSweeney, Usman Khawaja, and Marnus Labuschagne have been far too passive.

Konstas, on the other hand, had hit a sparkling century against the Indians in the tour game at Canberra. His 107 off 97 balls showed just the kind of intent that the Australian team would love to see in their Test side as well. It would also be more in line with the role that David Warner used to play for them. All of this, of course, depends on whether the Aussies choose to play the 19-year-old.

“You can say the way our top three have been playing has been reasonably similar, and we’d like the ability to throw something different at India on the back of that,” Australia’s selection committee chairman George Bailey said on Friday.

“If you look more broadly, I don’t think necessarily the top six has quite functioned to the level that we need in this series as a whole.

“I think Sam’s method and style are different from Nathan’s… should we go down that path. And different again from Beau (Webster) and Josh (Inglis) as the other batting options within that (squad). We think they provide a different look and a different make-up of the eleven come Boxing Day.”

The Indian team had a rest day on Friday, but they have lined up three practice sessions ahead of the Boxing Day Test, which will be a chance for them to ascertain whether they want to change things or not.

With the exception of KL Rahul, the top order is struggling. Yashasvi Jaiswal seems to be in an all-or-nothing phase. Shubman Gill is averaging just 20, Virat Kohli (despite his century) is averaging just 31.55, Rishabh Pant hasn’t made a mark and is averaging 19.20, and skipper Rohit Sharma is averaging 6.33 so far.

India are not going to call upon new talent from home, but perhaps form in the nets might be a clue. Akash Deep was impressive ahead of the Adelaide Test, and the decision to play him in Brisbane was a good one. They also brought in Ravindra Jadeja (a decision that paid off on the batting front, at least) ahead of R Ashwin. But will they show similar courage when it comes to the batting?

At some point, the selectors and the team management need to send a message to the non-performers. Name and fame will only take you so far.

India need the experience of the senior players, but that is not all they need. Rahul’s performances hold huge pointers for every other batter in this team, and they really need to adopt his approach.

While the Aussie top order has been too dour, the Indians have been far too aggressive. The lack of balance has hurt both teams. But now, they need to find the final piece to the puzzle.

There is a series on the line, and no one knows that better than the players in the middle.