#INDvAUS: India walk the talk against Aussies

"We will have a different game plan in the second innings," Cheteshwar Pujara asserted after the second day's play on Sunday.

It was a bold statement, although a bit far-fetched when your team still has four opposition wickets to take.

Nonetheless, it provided a glimpse into the Indian team's mindset and priority. The mindset was to accept the fact that the batsmen had to change the way they played in the previous three innings. The priority was to find out a way to do it.

The batting unit got into a huddle and came up with a solution that met consensus: get out of the shell, bat with a lot more positivity, bat with a lot more assurance.

The paradigm shift started right from the top in India's second outing on Monday. KL Rahul struck Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood for two fours off the first two overs of the innings.

Abhinav Mukund went a step further, pulling Starc for a six over fine leg. It was a top edge, but the approach wasn't edgy.

After the two openers departed, Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane carried on with the theme of positivity, stepping down the track whenever the opportunity presented itself to unsettle the two Aussie spinners.

A case in example came just after tea.

The visitors went into the tea break with the upper hand after taking four Indian wickets, and India knew they had to bring that hand down. Second ball after the break, Pujara came down the track and drove Lyon through covers for four while also driving home a point.

The intent was backed by decisiveness in defence, which deflated the Aussies in the final session. And once the two Indians sensed that, they sucked more air out of the visitors.

Seeing that their two best bowlers, Josh Hazlewood and Lyon, were tiring, Pujara and Rahane collected a boundary each, respectively, off their two overs in the last hour.

The shackles were broken, and so was the shell of the batting unit.

"The batting group got together and we had a chat about how our approach had been," India batting coach Sanjay Bangar said on Monday. "We also looked into the past of how we negotiated spin and what were the areas where we could have adapted better in the first three innings.

"It was a good chat and we came out with solutions. We also reinforced quite a bit of what they have been doing. I think the batsmen really applied themselves, used their feet well and were trying to get to the pitch of the ball as much as they could as also playing on the backfoot," he added.

The peak into the past would've also revealed one key aspect of Indian batting's success in the home season that was lacking in the last three innings: rotation of strike.

They corrected that on Monday, so much so that Australia bowled their first maiden only in the 38th over. The hosts also ensured that the run rate was above three runs an over all through till the 52nd over of the innings, only after which it started to dip a little.

"There was just more intent," Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood said when asked about the difference in the Indian batting in this innings compared to the previous three.

"Obviously, they scored about three runs an over which is an increase since their last couple of innings. They were more intent in the crease, scoring off those looser deliveries and they kept rotating the strike, which is the key here. They weren't getting stuck on one end for an extended period of time," he added.

Bangar predicts 'exhilarating' finish to Test

India batting coach Sanjay Bangar believed that after three topsy-turvy days, the second Test was heading for a tight finish. "We have fought really well in the last few days. After having the setback of not scoring runs in the first innings, clawing our way back, the team has stuck together, not letting the game run away. Coming back from the second session, we didn't lose any wickets and consolidated the third session. Overall, what lies ahead could be exhilarating stuff," he said.