Australia once again posted a big total and has put India under pressure to fight from behind in the remaining part of the Test. It was a good toss to win and one could make out that the side batting first would have a massive advantage and Australia used the batting conditions very, very well.
David Warner was outstanding on Day One and he reminds me very much about Virender Sehwag at his best. For both, the feet never moved much, but the hand-eye coordination along with a clear head makes them so dangerous. He and Steven Smith have made rapid progress in the last one year and have become players to reckon with in world cricket.
Both started as T-20 players and their rapid progress has shown the world that if the work ethics are right and there is a will one can adjust in all formats of the game. We hear a lot that one should not be exposed to the shorter format so early in their career as it hampers the development of skill in the longer format. But these two have succeeded in breaking that myth around the world.
For India the Day Three of the Test match is the most important. The bowlers have let them down once again by allowing 500 runs for the fourth time in this series and to be honest it just puts too much pressure on the batting unit all the time.
As I had said at the start of the Test and I am totally convinced now that on flat pitches, for India playing two regular spinners is the way forward and Virat Kohli will have to keep this in mind in the future. He, I thought, led exceptionally well on the second day and with time will develop into a good captain in all formats of the game.
Also he has to remember and must find out a way for the spinners to improve in overseas conditions or else life would become very difficult for him. All top Test teams had good spinners when they played at their best and he really needs to address the issue. To do that, first and foremost Virat has to force Ashwin to bowl a lot wider of the off-stump if he has to become a wicket-taking match-winning spinner for his captain.