India vs Australia | Ricky Ponting bats for the inclusion of Rishabh Pant in 11 for Boxing Day Test

Melbourne, December 21: Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting said the home side will come hard at India in the second Test at Melbourne, starting from December 26.

Ponting said after getting dismissed for 36 in the second innings of the Adelaide Test, India have a big challenge ahead of him in regrouping and the absence of Virat Kohli will make the job all the more hard.

Kohli has flown back to India for the birth of his first child, and Ponting said the visitors need to fortify their batting to compensate their captain's void. Ponting said India must include Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul in the 11 to tide over it.

"With Kohli not being there as well there's almost no-one to pick them back up after a loss like that. 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.

"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 they're got a bit of a sniff they're going to go even harder next game," said Ponting to cricket.com.au.

Australia too might face a dilemma with David Warner and Will Pucovski coming back into contention for the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne.

"If David's fit he comes straight back in ... they've got a decision to make then on (Cameron) Green and (Matthew) Wade," Ponting said. "That's the only obvious thing there. If both and Pucovski and Warner are fit I think Will will have to wait again.

"On the back of Burns getting fifty they've got to keep going with him, that's the right call and that's fair enough. There's a couple of little things there for the Aussies to think about but India will have a lot more headaches than them," he said.