Australia vs India 2018-19: 3 things India need to do to ensure a series win Down Under

The Perth Test has concluded with Australia emerging on top, defeating India by 146 runs. The Indian batsmen failed to deliver while the Australian bowlers stood tall, and the result wasn't in much doubt once the visitors were set a target of 287 in the fourth innings.

With all the momentum on Australia's side entering the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne, India would be looking to make major changes in order to win remaining the matches and seal the series.

This loss will be a wake-up call for Virat Kohli to reconsider his strategies and arrive at the best combination which would also help the team in the long run. As many experts have mentioned earlier, this is India's best chance to win a series in Australia; it's now or never for Team India.

Prithvi Shaw, who was dubbed as the X-factor for the Indian team on this tour, has ruled out of the entire series due to an ankle injury. With that in mind, Mayank Agarwal, the prolific Karnataka opener, and Hardik Pandya have been included in the squad.

The major issues that need to be sorted out are the openers, the bowlers' inability to clean the tail up quickly and most importantly, the team management's peculiar selection decisions.

Here, we will look at the top 3 changes that India need to make in order to win this series.

3) Ravindra Jadeja in; Hanuma Vihari out

With consistent performances, Ravindra Jadeja has proven to be a valuable option

If Ashwin is unable to recover from his injury in time, India would need a specialist spinner in the team. And that has definitely got to be Ravindra Jadeja.

In recent times, Jadeja has been performing exceptionally well. Apart from being one of the best fielders in the world, he is pretty handy with the bat and can get you crucial breakthroughs whenever required.

Adding Jadeja would increase India's batting depth, which was almost non-existent in the Perth Test. I would pick him instead of the recently included Hardik Pandya because the Indian seam department is already jam-packed and the team desperately needs a spinner who can be effective - like Australia's Nathan Lyon.

With Jadeja balancing the lower order, Rishabh Pant can be promoted up to No. 6 as he is often stuck around batting with tailenders, which prevents him from bring out his best.

2) Bhuvaneshwar Kumar in; Umesh Yadav out

It's about time Bhuvneshwar Kumar is given a chance Down Under

Opting for Umesh Yadav over Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the Perth Test proved to be disastrous. Umesh was largely ineffective, bowling only a few good deliveries and leaking a lot of runs. That cost the team dearly.

Bhuvneshwar, the specialist seamer, has been out of action for the better part of 2018. This can be the best time to get him back into the team.

Bhuvi can get the new ball to swing and with his ability to bowl with the right line and length, he can be very effective. India could play with four seamers in the third Test too as spinners likely won't much get too purchase in the MCG. Besides, they will have the option of Jadeja too.

Apart from his bowling ability, Bhuvi can be handy with the bat as well. Moreover, with him being added to the lineup, India could also find it easier to get rid of the tailenders, an area where they have been struggling.

1) Mayank Agarwal in; KL Rahul out

Mayank Agarwal has been in dominant form

The Indian middle order is facing massive pressure as the openers have failed to come good. The visitors' opening problem is the biggest area that has to be addressed.

Many opening pairs have experimented over the course of time but all of them have proved to be futile. K L Rahul has been in disastrous form and needs to be benched with immediate effect.

The team management seem to have taken Rahul's bad form too lightly, and they paid the price in the Perth test. He was dismissed for a single digit score in both innings, thus exposing the middle order to the new ball.

Murali Vijay has also failed but he showed some tenacity in the second innings at Perth. So I would expect the team management to stick with him in the upcoming Test.

As for the replacement, India must add Mayank Agarwal into their playing XI. The solid Karnataka opener has been in fine form in the domestic circuit. He even scored centuries for India-A on the tour of England and a double century against South Africa at home, and would be a much better option than Rahul at the top.