Change in the air as India get ready for Brisbane test

ADELAIDE: The pink ball is history, Adelaide is done, the day-night Test is done, and even though the result wasn't what India would have desired, the team looked happy to be back in the nets (with red ball in hand) for one last session before they leave the city of churches.

- Sharda Ugra

The jamboree will now move to Brisbane - a city where they notched up a famous win three years back. Victory at the Gabba, where Australia had remained undefeated since 1988, sealed a series win that should count as among the most unexpected ever.

The belief in the squad had stood out then and that is what India will need again as this series gets set for the third Test. Rohit Sharma and Co have some decisions to make before the match gets underway on December 14.

Rohit's batting spot The big decision for India will be about their skipper's batting position. He has now spent time in Australia and should be back up to Test pace. So, does that mean a move back to the top of the line-up is in order?

Rohit scored 3 and 6 at Adelaide while KL Rahul made 37 and 7, but if one looks at their overall record as opener, Rohit (44.01) is better than Rahul (35.03), and that may be key for the team management. There is also every chance that the older pro might decide to go on the counterattack early in the innings. That could also present Australia with a different problem to begin with.

The 37-year-old Rohit didn't look great in the nets though. He was beaten multiple times over his one-hour session in the net. He first batted with Pant and looked comfortable against the spinners but the pacers seemed to catch him out often.

However, one shouldn't read too much into this because it wasn't exactly clear what the skipper was attempting to work on. The bowlers, though, had shiny new red balls in their hand and were clearly not holding back.

Time for Akash Deep? Rohit has put his weight behind the young Harshit Rana (16-2-86-0 in Adelaide), but it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore Akash Deep. The latter was in fine rhythm during the nets on Tuesday.