5 Notable Statistics From The First Two Tests

#2 Nathan Lyon has dominated the wickets charts

Lyon has been in great form thus far

Nathan Lyon is comfortably the series leading wicket-taker thus far, with 16 wickets to his name already.

For a spinner in Australia, 16 wickets would often be a good return over the entirety of a four-match series, so that Lyon is already on this tally is very encouraging for Australia.

But it is also somewhat indicative of the conditions the Tests have been played in, as both pitches offered more for spin than Australian wickets conventionally do. In fact, despite not playing a specialist spinner in Perth, India have still taken eight wickets from spin in the series so far.

While India's choice to go with four pace-bowlers has been dissected in great detail, they should be encouraged by what they have seen in the pitches so far, as it means Ravichandran Ashwin may have a large influence on the next two Tests.

What the Melbourne pitch will provide is up for debate. It was rated 'poor' by the ICC after last years Ashes Test, as it offered precious little for bowlers. But Sydney, where the fourth Test will be played, is often the best venue for spin in Australia.

This could be good for India, as they have a fantastic spinner who is facing an inexperienced batting line-up with several players who are susceptible to spin. But it could also be a disadvantage if they continue to struggle against Lyon.

Now with 82 Tests and 334 wickets to his name, Lyon has improved and developed over the past few years to become a spinner who is effective in a range of conditions. The past couple of years have also marked the first time since Shane Warne where Australia have had a spinner whose selection is guaranteed for more than the next few Tests.

Lyon's growth as a player has strangely also improved Australia's batting, as his ability to hold down an end with the ball means that Australia have not needed to select an allrounder to ease the workload of the pace bowlers.

This is shown by the fact Lyon has bowled 123.5 overs in the series, whereas no other bowler has reached 100. How India plays him will be crucial in deciding the next two Tests.