Australia vs India 2018-19: Will India's team selection come back to haunt them at Perth?

Quick pitches have always excited the Indian team and their fast bowlers; when presented with a green wicket, it almost looks like they have just seen a source of water in a desert. Understandably so, since they have been brought up on red ones.

The new stadium in Perth was expected to replicate the old fiery WACA wicket, and it was certainly lush green when it was first uncovered. Even Virat Kohli was fascinated by the pitch and on the eve of the second Test, he said that he was "more excited than nervous".

India made a bold move of going in four quicks and without a frontline spinner, only the third such instance in their cricketing history. On a ground hosting its first international match, and with nobody knowing how the pitch was going to behave, was that the right call? It seems not.

If a unit is touted to be the best, then it has to be backed. There is hardly anyone who has not praised the current Indian fast bowling attack. So what in world was the team management thinking while making the decision to change it?

The three Indian quicks can get the job done on a slow Adelaide wicket, but on a green top with bounce and help expected, did they need another partner? Or was it that the fast bowlers had not yet recovered from the fatigue from the first match, which prompted the decision? Kohli and Co. might know better.

India lost the toss and had to bowl first with four quicks. It was an exciting prospect for Indian fans, who would have hoped to see their team batting in the evening. But that wasn't to be.

Australia currently stand comfortably with 277 runs on the board. And given their long tail, they will certainly be aiming at around 350 tomorrow, if not more.

It was a bit of a surprise that Indian seamers were unable to pick up wickets on such a track. But a conscious attempt to leave a lot of balls was also clearly visible in Australia's approach.

Kohli turning to Hanuma Vihari for 14 overs was a strong indication that he was already missing a frontline spinner. Also, with Vihari extracting some turn and bounce and picking up two wickets, Kohli will have a hard time explaining the no-spinner tactic to Ravindra Jadeja. Even Ravichandran Ashwin would have been kicking himself for not having the opportunity to bowl on this track.

Despite all this, the biggest surprise on another absorbing day of Test cricket was the behavior of the pitch.

In the first session, there wasn't much help on offer, and the Indian seamers probably got carried away with the bounce; they were a shade too short. But the pitch revealed its other side in the second session, where there was plenty of extra bounce. The Indian seamers were awarded for their discipline, and three Australian batsmen were sent back to the pavilion.

The Optus stadium has been like a magic trick whose secret couldn't be found in the entire day's play. In the evening session, there was not only lateral movement but also unpredictable bounce.

Even though we can't say how the pitch will behave on the remaining days, one thing is for sure: it will get more difficult to play on this track as the game progresses.

Spinners would also come in handy here. If Vihari, a bowler who bowls rarely for even Karnataka, could find assistance, then playing out a world-class bowler like Nathan Lyon would be extremely demanding for the Indian batsmen.

If the pitch continues to behave like this and Australia put up a good total, India will find it hard to stay afloat as they have to bat last on a pitch with up and down bounce. What playing Umesh Yadav also does is that it weakens the batting; any contribution from Jadeja down the order would have been really handy.

Even if India bats well in the first innings and similar to Adelaide, it will likely boil down to the second innings. Will India miss the all-rounder?

Whether India's team selection will come back to haunt them once again, giving the Aussies a chance to level the series, only the pitch will tell.