IND vs AUS | Good chance for Australia to clean-sweep India, reckons Ricky Ponting

After losing the first Test match, the Indian team in Australia is under the pump. Things haven't gone as planned as India missed the services of Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma in the Test series opener while they will now be missing both Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami too in the remainder of the series.

A defeat like Adelaide where a side scores as less as 36 can completely shatter the team's morale and confidence and bouncing back will be difficult, especially under a new skipper, given it takes time to get adjusted to new style of leadership.

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting feels the impact of the 36-run disaster in Adelaide will stay with India and their wounds would get opened up in the upcoming Tests.

"Now there's some serious wounds opened up. There could be a good chance (of a sweep). Let's hope we do get a result in Melbourne and if we do, I think India's going to find it really hard to bounce back and win a game," Ponting told cricket.com.au, reported TOI.

Australia's World Cup winning skipper of 2003 and 2007 further asserted that in absence of Kohli, things would only get more challenging. 

"We'll learn a lot about them, won't we? With Kohli not being there as well there's almost no one to pick them back up after a loss like that," Ponting said.

One of the major talking points in the first Test was the inclusion of Saha as wicket-keeper ahead Rishabh Pant, who boasts the best average for a gloveman in Australia with minimum of 200 runs for India. Shubman Gill is in line to make his Test debut too taking place of Virat Kohli. Punter feels Pant should be in and so should Gill.

"They've got to make a couple of changes. Rishabh Pant has to be in that middle order. With Kohli not being there they've got to strengthen their batting, he's got to come in," he said.

The Tasmanian cricketer, who was known for playing mind games during his heydays, also added now that Australia have got a sniff, they won't let India come back easily. 

"They'll look at Prithvi Shaw at the top of the order I'm sure but there's one thing to make selection changes there's another to lift the spirits back up again and make sure they're mentally right for the next challenge because the Australians are not going to go away now."

"Now that they've got a bit of a sniff they're going to go even harder next game."