KL Even if Rahul's extended streak of mistakes continues to concern, India will begin the second Test against Australia as the clear favourites to win in three days.
After 13 years of effort and labour, Indian cricket's quiet hero Cheteshwar Pujara will play in his 100th Test in this game.
Although Pujara would want to celebrate a significant personal milestone with a 20th Test century, it is impossible to ignore the worries about India's top-order.
The rest struggled to get going in the first game, with the exception of captain Rohit Sharma, who scored a century in Nagpur on a slow turner while being regal in attack and traditional in defence. Along with Rahul, the list of losers also included Pujara to some degree and the legendary Virat Kohli.
While facing the spinners, Kohli is making every effort to elevate the ante. The second round between Kohli and Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy may prove just as exciting.
KL Rahul's problems
Time is running out for Rahul as Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli's heir apparent and now in excellent form, waits in the wings.
It would be intriguing to watch what decision the Indian team management makes if the 30-year-old Karnataka man has another failure before the squad for the last two Tests is named, having squandered so many chances in his 46-Test career with a below par average of 34.
One can fairly predict that another slow turner will welcome the visitors at the Ferozshah Kotla after Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja put tremendous strain on the Aussies during the hosts' convincing innings victory in Nagpur.
Australia won't even be able to make it to the fifth day unless they bat like crazy.
Once the first wetness evaporates, the Ferozshah Kotla tracks become as lifeless as a dodo. Rahul Dravid, the head coach of India, said without reservation that the middle-order trio of Ravindra Jadeja, the injured Rishabh Pant, and the recuperating Shreyas Iyer had saved the team most often in recent years.
Even in the first Test, Australia was out-batted by the team of Axar Patel and Jadeja.
The Kotla pitch is expected to be a little slower than Jamtha, therefore the Indian batsmen must adopt their captain's strategy and use a smart combination of attack and defence.
Australia captain Pat Cummins will be cautious about putting in Nathan Lyon from the Old Pavilion end since the leg side boundary would be just around 60 metres because to the shorter boundary on one side.
Shreyas Iyer or another SKY game
Shreyas Iyer has finished his rehabilitation after sustaining a lower back injury, and in accordance with the team's current management policy, any player who was contributing before being hurt would be reinstated into the starting lineup.
In reality, Dravid predicted that Iyer will stroll into the side “if he is able to handle the effort of a five-day Test.”
The operatives are constantly working between the lines if anybody knows David.
Iyer hasn't played competitive cricket in more than 30 days; would it be hazardous to start him in a Test match without first determining if he is match-ready? The call is challenging.
Since Kona Bharat is more of a keeper who can also bat well, India is looking at Surya more as Iyer's successor than as someone to replicate Pant's sloppy style in the middle order.
Will Warner be given a second chance?
Australia has expressed worry over David Warner's poor performance during Test matches. It wasn't a pleasant sight when Mohammed Shami sent his off stump cartwheeling, and it's unclear whether he will get another opportunity.
It would be fascinating to see whether Australia decides to go with three tweakers given that they have already added left arm spinner Matt Kuhneman to the team.
If fit, Mitchell Starc might take the place of Scott Boland because the Kotla pitch, which offers little real support below the surface, could badly undermine the hulking Victorian's confidence.
Teams: India (Captain Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Ishan Kishan) (wk).
Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey (wk), Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscombe, Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Lance Morris, Mitchell Swepson, Todd Murphy, Josh Hazlewood (unavailable), Cameron Green (unavailable), and Mitchell Starc are the players for Australia (from 2nd Test).
