India will play five ODIs and three T20 internationals against the world champions Australia. The ODI series is set to start from 12 January at the Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) Stadium in Perth.
Team India have been preparing for this all-important series for quite sometime now, and Ajinkya Rahane feels India will do well in tour Down Under.
Rahane, though, is also wary of the Australian seam attack. Mitchell Johnson, who has retired, and Mitchell Starc will not feature against India in the upcoming series, and that might just give India the edge over the world champions. Rahane believes the Aussies have a formidable attack even without Johnson and Starc.
"It's always a challenge to play against Australia. Yes, they will miss Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc, but they have got other bowlers like [James] Pattinson. We are going to focus first on ODIs and then think about the T20 series. By then, we would have got used to the conditions. I am confident we will do well on tour," Rahane told reporters at a press conference, before boarding a flight to Australia on Tuesday.
"As a batting unit, we have to play on the merit of the ball."
Rahane has not been able to convert his starts into big scores in the limited overs formats. His running between the wickets and scoring at a brisk rate in the shorter formats of the game have been a cause of concern as well. His role in the top/middle order will be absolutely crucial against the mighty Aussies.
"I always try to improve my game. I am confident about myself. I am a team man and would be happy to do whatever the team management wants me to do," Rahane said.
Rahane has been in good form with the willow in the longer format. He treated the fans in Delhi to two centuries in the last Test match against South Africa. Rahane is now eager to perform well in the bouncy decks of Australia as well.
"Two Test hundreds against South Africa in last Test were very special as they were made at the place where I made my debut and we won the series too," Rahane added.
"For this tour, I have made normal preparations to face bouncy conditions in Australia. We will play in challenging conditions but we want to return with a win."
