Australia vs India 2018-19: Plenty of places still up for grabs in the Indian lineup for the Adelaide Test 

With the first Test against Australia just over a day away, the Indian playing XI is far from settled. In fact, it seems that as many as five places are still up for grabs.

Captain Virat Kohli will have to take several factors into consideration, such as the pitch and five-bowlers-or-six batsmen strategy, while selecting the final lineup.

At the top of the order, with Prithvi Shaw out injured, Murali Vijay seems to have sealed his place given his recent run of form in the county circuit and the warm up game. The fact that he had done well on India’s previous tour to Australia will also go in his favour.

However, the identity of his opening partner is still uncertain.

Though KL Rahul is the only other opener in the side, his run of poor form and Rohit Sharma’s astounding recent run in limited overs formats may tempt Kohli to give Rohit a go at the top of the order. The Mumbai Indians captain’s leadership skills and tactical inputs on the field could be an added incentive for Kohli to prefer him over Rahul.

At the moment, it seems like a close call between Rahul and Rohit for the second opener’s slot.

The batting numbers 3 to 5 are quite settled, with Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane filling in those positions. However, Rahane will be under some pressure to perform as he has not contributed as well or as consistently as he would have liked in recent times.

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Apart from these players, the only other certainties in the playing XI are wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant and pacer Jasprit Bumrah. If India go in with five bowlers, as has been the case with Kohli’s captaincy more often than not, then Pant would get to bat at number six, with the five bowlers to follow.

However, if India go in with six batsmen, then Hanuma Vihari is the favorite to take the No. 6 spot. But a lot will also depend on who the opening partner of Vijay is.

If it’s Rohit, then Vihari becomes an automatic selection. But if it’s Rahul, then the No. 6 position will be a toss-up between Vihari and Rohit.

As for the bowlers, nobody except Bumrah is a certainty; all the other four pacers are good enough to be in the team.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar can use whatever swing may be on offer, with the pitch likely to have some grass, and can also contribute with the bat. Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav are both capable of reverse swing in the later stages of the game. Ishant Sharma can give control and get significant bounce using his height.

But the selection of two or three of them will depend on what Kohli wants from his playing XI. None of the four is an automatic selection.

Similarly, none of the three spinners is an automatic selection either. Although Ravichandran Ashwin has been India’s lead spinner for quite some time, his lack of success overseas may be a factor in the selection of the spinner(s).

What will India's final lineup look like on the morning of 6th December? Your guess is as good as mine.