Former Australian skipper, Michael Clarke reckons that after watching the behavior of the Perth pitch after the opening day’s play, Virat Kohli’s Indian team has missed the trick by not playing a specialist spinner for the second Test. On an up-and-down pitch at Optus Stadium – hosting its first Test match – India’s four-member pace attack managed four wickets with the big scalps of Marcus Harris (70) and Shaun Marsh (45) going to Hanuma Vihari. In his second Test, Vihari bowled 14 overs of offspin on Friday and dismissed Harris with a ball that got big on the batsman could only fend it to slip.

In the third session, Marsh was hurried into a cut shot and edged to slip. Seeing Vihari take two wickets on day one, Clarke was moved to wonder why India did not pick Ravindra Jadeja in place of the injured R Ashwin.

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During the post-play show, Michael said, “Watching him [Vihari] take wickets, I have no doubt that India missed a trick by not playing a spinner. I think Ravindra Jadeja would have taken wickets, and seeing the wicket I think Nathan Lyon is going to have a big role.”

Clarke’s former team-mate Michael Hussey agreed his former teammate as he said, “Having someone like Ashwin would have been nice … I know they had Jadeja for this Test [as an option] … to keep it tight and rotate the fast bowlers. I think Lyon will have a big role to play.”

During a Sheffield Shield match earlier this month, Lyon scalped as many as seven wickets at Optus Stadium including four in the second innings, and after the win for New South Wales, he spoke of how excited he was to return to play India at the same venue.