Ashwin or Lyon? Hazlewood or Shami? Who makes it to our combined current Australia-India XI?
And who opens with David Warner? Our panelists put their heads together to pick a powerhouse combined XI from the two sides
Neither team has had set openers, with both units trying different combinations over the last 18 months. David Warner has not had a regular partner, and the India openers, Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma and Prithvi Shaw have shown sparks of brilliance but still have a lot to prove. Will the panelists go with one of the these choices, or will they shoehorn in a makeshift opener from all the brilliant middle-order options that both teams have?
Six quicks stand out. Australia have Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. India have Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. But not all can make it. Who misses out? Which combination provides the most variety? Three fast bowlers or four?
Virat Kohli and Steven Smith are two of Test cricket's greats. Cheteshwar Pujara can really get stuck in. Marnus Labuschagne has been the most prolific Test batsman since his debut. At first glance, all four should make it to the XI but it also means Nos. 3 to 6 are full up, leaving no space for a wicketkeeper and allrounder. Will the panelists sacrifice one of them? Or will they find a solution to play all four while also making a perfectly balanced XI?
Sreshth Shah is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo