Rohit's batting position in focus as buoyant India aim to prove a point in pink ball Test

Rohit Sharma might take a step back to lead from the front as India look for the perfect combination to drive home the advantage against a wounded but famously resilient Australia in the day-night Test starting here on Friday.

The biggest predicament is the batting order, which will need to be shaken up a bit to accommodate Rohit, returning to the side from a brief paternity break, and a fit-again Shubman Gill.

But the resourceful side would be happy to have that headache than being under-strength, which was the case when they last toured and beat all expectations to come out trumps.

Playing Australia in Australia tends to bring the best out of the visiting Indian team which defied all expectations to boss the series-opener in Perth, handing Australia their first loss at the Optus stadium.

In their last trip Down Under, India made a comeback for the ages following the 36 all out debacle at the Adelaide Oval but the visitors are placed much better this time around, following the resounding result in the opening Test.

However, the day-night game presents a different challenge for the visiting team batters, who will have to be at their best to negate the extra seam movement generated by the pink ball, especially in the twilight phase.

Australia, who have lost only one out of their 12 day-night Tests at home, will be hurting from the hiding in Perth and having got a 10-day breather, they will be under pressure to make a comeback in the series.

If the one-day practice match in Canberra was an indication, Rohit could drop himself down the order to ensure that the in-form Jaiswal and Rahul continue opening the innings.

Rohit, whose Test career got a second wind after he started opening in 2019, is certain to take that call keeping the team's best interests in mind.

Irrespective of his batting position, the captain would want to be back among the runs after a lean home series against New Zealand.

His record in Australia is nothing to write home about and he would want to change that on probably his last tour Down Under.

Rohit and Gill will bolster the playing eleven at the expense of Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel.

Having recovered from a thumb injury, Gill looked good in the practice match and will carry the confidence of his past performances in Australia when he walks in to bat the at the hallowed ground.

The biggest positives with the bat in Perth were Virat Kohli regaining his rhythm and Jaiswal's coming of age hundred in his debut Test in Australia. Both will look to build on those significant gains here.

No changes are expected in the bowling department though traditionally, the Adelaide pitch has aided the spinners, bringing R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja into discussion.

Australia, on the other hand, have plenty to worry about as they aim to level the series. Their best bowler in Perth, Josh Hazlewood, has been ruled out of the game due to injury.

The usually accurate Scott Boland will replace him in the side and can trouble the Indian batters with his relentless off-stump channel bowling. It will be Boland's first Test in almost 18 months.

"Traditionally here there's normally a bit of nip which obviously suits Scotty quite well," Cummins told reporters on Thursday.

"As a captain it's pretty awesome for someone like Scotty to come in. You know he can bowl a huge amount of overs if you need. He's super consistent, he's performed at this level, so he's ready to go."

The pressure is mounting on the fragile batting line-up, which will need to step up against Jasprit Bumrah and Co.

The harsh scrutiny will be reserved for Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, both of whom are struggling to keep their place in the eleven.

Opener Nathan McSweeney had a horror debut and he too would be desperate to turn it around.

It remains to be seen whether Mitchell Marsh bowls in the game as he continues to nurse his niggles.

Squads:

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Australia XI: Pat Cummins (C), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.

India: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Match starts 9.30 am IST.