India spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are both under an injury cloud ahead of the Boxing Day Test against Australia, leaving the tourists with a potential selection conundrum.
Australians can expect a backlash from the top ranked Test side in the world, according to former captain Ricky Ponting.
Australia need five wickets in the second Test to secure a series-levelling victory with India's daunting run chase on a menacing pitch teetering at stumps on day four on Monday.
Captain Virat Kohli determinedly led India's fightback on an engrossing day two on Saturday, blunting Australia's bowling attack to leave the second Test hanging in the balance.
Having gone down swinging in an enthralling Adelaide Test, Australia barely have time to pick themselves up off the canvas before another potentially bruising contest against a confident India in Perth.
The former Australia captain declared that Australia's top-order batsman Usman Khawaja will outscore Indian skipper Virat Kohli in the upcoming four-Test series.
India captain Virat Kohli says the world's top batsmen will have reason to fear Jasprit Bumrah after the talented young paceman put Australia to the sword in the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The 60,000-seat arena will host its first Test after a rich 47-year run at the nearby WACA, located on the opposite bank of the SwanRiver, and the grassy drop-in wicket unveiled on Thursday has fuelled anticipation of a pace bowler's paradise.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 2nd Test at Perth on Sunday
Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch and Travis Head all made half-centuries but none of them was able to really put their foot down on the gas as India pegged the Australians back on a grassy, drop-in wicket that occasionally played a few tricks.
Indian touring parties that have left Australia empty-handed over the last 70 years
'We understand that we do have a bowling attack that can bowl the opposition out as much as they're convinced about their attack.'
Officials in Australia said they were worried after a modest 23,802 turned out for the opening day of the Test series in Adelaide on Thursday, the lowest day-one attendance since the venue was redeveloped in 2013. 'We hope that the sentiment from fans is something India can see'
'We would've loved to win the game, but the boys bowled really well and they also batted really well. It's probably on us batters to take a bit of the weight from them'
'We've tried to bounce Pujara, we've tried wide of the stumps, we've tried at the stumps, Nathan Lyon's been over and around ... and he's been too good for us'
With the year sprinting to a close, we bring you, in pictures, some of the best action from the sports world.
It is a rare first Down Under for India since Lala Amarnath's side visited the country back in 1947-48 months after independence to face Sir Don Bradman's 'Invincibles'.
"This will probably be the biggest World Cup, so there will be great expectations and I know we will do very well for the people of the West Indies," he added.
'I just go out there and do my thing; try to express myself. I'm glad people enjoy it,' Rishabh Pant tells Dhruv Munjal.
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