Australia lead India 2-0 in the four-match test series and look set to continue the winning streak.
'Boxing Day' test matches never cease to surprise. The third test between India and Australia at Melbourne on Friday, just like the previous two tests is expected to produce exciting, nail-biting moments.
Picture this...Australia are 2-0 up in the four-match test series and have everything going their way, whereas MS Dhoni's India are struggling to exorcise mental demons, thanks to the close nature of defeats at Adelaide and Brisbane.
If Adelaide saw Australia clinch a memorable win, thanks to a flurry of centuries and Nathan Lyon proving to be wrecker-in-chief, Brisbane was all about the tail-enders pulling off a virtual coup over Dhoni's side.
Are India falling apart?
In contrast the Indians have been affected by reports of in-fighting in the dressing room, with Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli being embroiled in the midst of things.
Kohli and Dhawan reportedly had a spat over the latter's 'refusal' to take to field, on the fourth day of the Brisbane test, as the issue spiralled out of control.
Thankfully things have cooled down now, as India look to put behind the Brisbane capitulation, and try and salvage something from the series.
Virat Kohli's Brisbane dismissal resulted into a spat with Shikhar Dhawan (getty images)
Amongst the batsmen, only Kohli and Murali Vijay have shined, with the duo scoring three centuries amongst them.
Apart from Kohli's twin centuries at Adelaide and Vijay's supreme 144 at Brisbane, the other batsmen have not done enough to supplement the duo, and a massive shift in form would be required if India's batsmen are to have runs flowing from their willow at Melbourne.
The bowling has been haphazard to say the least, as India's pacers have been virtually taken to the cleaners by Australia. Pace...spin...nothing has worked against the rampage conjured up by Australian batsmen, and it won't be a surprise if the trend continues at Melbourne too.
Australia aim to deliver knock out punch!
Australia on the other hand have shrugged off potential injury concerns as Ryan Harris, David Warner and Shaun Marsh have all recovered from minor niggles to confirm participation in the game.
Joe Burns will be a new face in the Australian side, as the Queenslander will aim to put in an impressive debut and try and rack up valuable runs on board.
Australia have fired on all cylinders right from Adelaide, with their batsmen racking up five centuries so far.
Nathan Lyon has picked up 17 wickets in the first two tests (getty images)
The bowling department's wrecker-in-chief Lyon's 17-wicket haul, and the likes of Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood have done well to keep the wickets trickling in.
Steve Smith has led from the front and has impressed with his batting form, his two centuries being testimony of the fact.
As a unit Australia have simply outshined India in every department, and would look to put up a similar performance at the MCG.
Team news
Pacer Mitchell Starc will make way for the bristling Harris, who would be aiming to unleash a few thunderbolts on the Indian batsmen. The rest of Australia's team composition would remain unchanged with Harris and Burns being the only new additions to the side.
Johnson, Harris and Hazlewood will probe for cracks in India's batting armour whereas Lyon looks likely to pull another rabbit out of his hat at the MCG. India on the other hand will in all probability will welcome lanky pacer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, who may spearhead the attack in place of the ineffective Varun Aaron.
Bhuvaneshwar Kumar will be relied on to provide early breakthroughs (getty images)
Apart from Kumar, R Ashwin will play the lone spinner's role, with Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma manning the rest of the bowling responsibility. Despite Kumar's arrival, skitlling out Australia's batting cheaply definitely looks like a tall order for India's bowlers, given recent results, and the onus will lie on Dhoni to inspire his bowlers to click as a unit.
So as recent record stands, India have not won a test at the MCG since 1981, when Kapil Dev's side demolished Australia to notch up a memorable win. Though an encore in current circumstances looks unlikely, still Dhoni and India may do well to look back on that win and script a turnaround, which may well set tone for the final game at Sydney.
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