India have a golden chance to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy in the second Test at the Kotla in New Delhi, beginning on Friday, following their innings triumph in Nagpur.

On the eve of the Test, Australia were sweating over the fitness of all-rounder Cameron Green with the mystery over their XI revealing the uncertainty within the camp. Having been perplexed by the wicket in Nagpur, Pat Cummins said that he was “not too sure” of what to make of the pitch this time, apart from “expecting it to spin”.

The Indians looked a more settled outfit with a fit Shreyas Iyer almost certain to replace Suryakumar Yadav. It will also mark a century of Test matches for the silent warrior, Cheteshwar Pujara, one of their biggest contributors with the bat over 13 years.There hasn’t been any indication to suggest that the Kotla pitch won’t turn though very little was on view since it remained covered with a mat for a long period during the day. With temperatures staying low in the mornings, the early sessions could well offer some more assistance for movement.

The low bounce on the Indian surfaces has been a matter of concern and Cummins said that his spin unit is still adjusting to the changes. “It’s an adjustment. Even in the last game, we saw a lot of round-the-wicket bowling, whereas in Australia it’s mainly over the wicket.

“The close catchers don’t feel like the ball is going to pop up as much when there isn’t much bounce. It is a bit of an adjustment,” the Australian captain said.

“Using side-spinners, just changing up your angles a bit more. All those things come into play a bit more. I think the bowlers did a really good job, both spinners (in the) last game (in Nagpur). It’s a bit of an adjustment but in some ways, it doesn’t get any better.”

The Australians are expected to play Mitchell Starc. But if Green is fit then there’s a chance Australia could play three specialist spinners which brings Ashton Agar and the uncapped Matt Kuhnemann into the frame.

David Warner’s lean patch in Test matches has been a matter of concern for Australia. The manner in which Mohammed Shami sent his off-stump cartwheeling didn’t make for a pretty sight and whether he gets another chance remains to be seen.

For India, it will perhaps be a final chance for KL Rahul to stamp his form. Having wasted so many opportunities in his 46-Test career, it will be interesting to see what call is taken by the team management.

With inputs from PTI

Today’s matches

■ India vs Australia, 2nd Test Day I, 9.30am, live on Star Sports Network