With changes at the helm, all eyes at the Gabba

Brisbane, Dec 16 (IANS) After a thrilling victory for Australia in the first Test in Adelaide over India, the focus shifts to the second Test starting here Wednesday at the Gabba, with different captains at the helm for both the sides.

While India welcome back regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the host team will see one its youngest captains Steven Smith take charge in the absence of the injured Michael Clarke.

Smith, 25, will be Australia's 45th Test captain, and youngest since Kim Hughes in 1979.

Changes in personnel are also expected in both the sides. Australia have already called in young pacers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc to replace Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle.

For the visitors, wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha will make way for Dhoni while it is expected that off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will replace leggie Karn Sharma, who made his debut in the first Test.

India might have lost the first Test by 48 runs but they gave a good account of themselves.

The visitors were well placed to win the Test after the first two sessions on the final day but some appalling batting from the lower-middle order saw India throw away their advantage in the final session, losing eight wickets to go down narrowly.

However, the Indians will be presented with a very different challenge than what they encountered in the first Test.

The pitch at the Gabba is expected to be very different from the one at the Adelaide Oval.

Known for its green top pitch, pacers are expected to be in the limelight. That means Australia’s first Test spinning hero Nathan Lyon, who picked up a total of 12 wickets in the match, is likely to take a back seat with the hosts relying on the likes of Mitchell Johnson and Starc to do more damage.

"(The Gabba) is traditionally quite a fast and bouncy wicket and it certainly looks no different out there for this Test match," said Smith.

"Hopefully after the wickets that we've played on in Test cricket recently - the Adelaide Oval and the two in the United Arab Emirates - it's exciting for our fast bowlers to finally have something that'll have a bit of liveliness to it.”

Dhoni was also hopeful of his team's chances noting that India have had some memorable wins on fast pitches in the recent past.

"The last couple of tours we haven't played here. We have won at some of the fastest Test wickets - Johannesburg and Perth. There will be something extra for the bowlers, especially the fast bowlers," said Dhoni.

While the aggressive and go-for-broke attitude of stand-in captain Virat Kohli was appreciated by all, Dhoni will bring along with him calmness and coolness that the team so badly lacked on the final day in Adelaide.

Squads:

Australia: Chris Rogers, David Warner, Shane Watson, Steven Smith (captain), Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.

India (Probable eleven): Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami.