Australia are now 2-0 in a test series that feels way more even than that score suggests. The Indians continue to show us plenty of fight as they haven't relinquished any aggression and enthusiasm despite going through a few tough patches. We head to the MCG, on Boxing Day, the most glorious day on the cricketing calendar at the most glorious cricketing venue with an Australian side who despite riding high with their performances continue to answer many questions from their critics.

Now James Pattinson has collected Shane Watson in the head. Watson appears okay but a little rocked @FOXSportsNews pic.twitter.com/U1dDaIDg5j
— Neroli Meadows (@Neroli_M_FOX) December 22, 2014

Most of those questions centre around guys like Shane Watson and Brad Haddin who are in form in one aspect of their game but are struggling with the bat. Such is the standard of Australian cricket, you can be under pressure to perform despite doing a pretty fine job with the gloves or the ball. They have called up batsmen Joe Burns from Queensland - he's been playing for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash, who will come in to replace Mitchell Marsh. You'd have to imagine that Burns would bat in the middle order as a direct replacement for Marsh, with Aussies's top 4 staying the same.

There isn't a whole lot of news out of the Indian camp, besides a bit of whinging.

Here's some random thoughts

The form of Josh Hazlewood is a huge boost for this Australian side. He's a genuine swing bowler who along with his height and pace has multiple strings to his bow.
Expect Mitchell Starc, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle to be competing for that 3rd seam bowling option. I'm leaning towards Harris who is fragile, so going back to back with a short turn around was never going to suit him.
India have been very competitive but they haven't offered a whole lot in their middle order. Someone like Rohit Sharma, who carries a big reputation in the coloured clothing kind of sums this up. He's talented but can't seem to put anything consistently on the board.
I reckon the Indians will be up for though after spending a few weeks now in Australia. We've seen the Indian batsmen get runs in spits and spurts, but they aren't too far off putting it all together. All it takes is two or three guys to all get big runs and the Aussies will under the pump.
As expected, I've been impressed by Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav. I have no idea if they'll roll out the same attack, but they have on the whole bowled pretty well. However, I do think they've only scratched the surface and if they can consistently hit good areas at good pace and continue to ruffle some feathers, they'll be good to watch.
Chris Rogers seems to be the man who is most likely to be dropped if he doesn't get runs, well that's what you would think if you listened to the media. Rogers is the glue at the top of the order and I think the likes of Darren Lehman and Steve Smith love having him there.
The same can be said for Watson and Haddin who are simply out of form with the bat. There's no way that this should be a big deal with Australia having won two games.
Is there anything negative you can say about Steve Smith? No, the kid has simply been on fire in all departments having earned the respect of his team mates as a leader by performing. With MS Dhoni always an easy target, it will be interesting to see how these two leaders perform.
We've seen Murali Vijay get runs, we've see Shikhar Dhawan get a few and we've seen Cheteshwar Pujara chip in as well, but India need more from them. That's saying something because they've been fairly decent but India will need to lay a very solid platforms in Melbourne in each innings as this Australian attack can strike at any time.
That was clear with Mitchell Johnson who tore through the Indians to set up the victory. It was great to see Johnson back ripping in and hurling down quick deliveries that moved a bit, there's no better sight.
I kind of expect the Indians to upset the part in Melbourne. All it takes is a few more batsmen getting themselves in the run scoring mixer and executing better with the ball. With a few injuries and some unnecessary external pressure to perform, the Aussies are perhaps at their weakest.
But I equally expect the Aussies to continue to somehow find a way to win, to win a key session and then kick on. That's why I'm loving this series.