AUSTRALIA

For Australia the objective appears simple: win the game and tie the two-match series. Lose or draw and Ricky Ponting's men slide to an unprecedented low of fifth in the ICC Test Rankings and begin The Ashes ranked lower than England.

Australia has signalled it will go into the game unchanged from the side that lost so agonisingly last time out, with Doug Bollinger's fitness the only concern. Should he fail to get up, the selectors will have to hand a debut to one of Peter George, James Pattinson or Mitchell Starc if they want to retain the three-man pace attack - or alternatively introduce Steve Smith as a second spinner.

Despite calls for changes based on form, chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch has warned against any knee-jerk reactions to losing the first Test. ''We don't sort of experiment as selectors. We've mapped out what we think is our best side, and we know who the players close to selection are," he said this week.

If changes are made, they are likely to involve Marcus North who suffered another poor match in Mohali. North has now scored 10 runs or fewer in over half his Test innings.

While attention has been focussed on a brittle middle-order, Australia's failure to close out the first Test can again be attributed to an inability to snare 20 wickets. Worryingly, Australia has dismissed India twice in a Test match only once in their last six attempts. If Bollinger is ruled out, the selectors could do worse than bring Steve Smith into the side and use Shane Watson, now rested from the ODIs, as the third seamer.

INDIA

India has been forced into at least two changes due to injuries to Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma. They are likely to be replaced in the line-up by Chennai Super Kings' Murali Vijay and the effervescent Sreesanth at a ground at which India has not been victorious since 1995 and at which Australia has yet to taste defeat.

The match is likely to be notable as the one during which Sachin Tendulkar accumulates the 27 runs he requires to pass 14,000 in tests. Tendulkar was also this week named the ICC Cricketer of the Year for 2010 in honour of a year in which he scored 1064 Test runs at an average of 81.84 and 914 ODI runs at 65.28.

PREDICTION

A draw.

With India unable to lose the series it will be up to Australia to force the running. If they are to succeed, they need to make inroads with the new ball like they did in the second innings in Mohali. Unfortunately, the lack of a match-winning spinner again looks like damaging the tourist's chances of twice dismissing a powerful Indian batting order.

The two most recent encounters at the Chinnaswamy Stadium have both ended in stalemates and the likelihood of another draw is increased by the forecast of showers for the duration of the Test.

TAB SPORTSBET ODDS:

India $3.50, Australia $3.50, Draw $1.90