Australia will want to get as much match practice as they possibly can when they play India A in a three-day warm-up match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai from Friday.
Virat Kohli vs Mitchell Starc -- a battle for the ages
The Aussies come into this four-match Test series as the underdogs, but with plenty of hope and confidence that they can stop an India team who are yet to lose a single match at home this season in nine Test matches – they have won eight of those.
An inkling of how well Australia will be able to cope in Indian conditions will be received when they play a strong India A side, which will be led by Hardik Pandya, who is a part of the senior India squad for the Test series.
While Pandya is unlikely to find a place in the playing XI for India, the all-rounder, nonetheless is keen to make an impression in this practice match.
"It will be good opportunity for all of us, especially me to perform and get the opportunity to play in the Test series," Pandya said. "It will be a good opportunity for the youngsters as well, who are there to show what they have.
"We are not treating it as a practice game, it's an opportunity for all of us to do something amazing and get recognised in the selectors' eyes.
"I have played against Australia A. This will be an amazing experience. Australians, you all know how they are and how aggressive they are, it will be nice competition for all of us."
Competition is what Australia will want. They will want to face quality spinners; they will hope their own spinners bowl to strong batsmen. Because only then will Australia really know how well prepared they are to face Virat Kohli's team.
The likes of David Warner and Steve Smith will want to get a good knock in the middle, while the youngsters in the side – Peter Handscomb, Matt Renshaw and the rest – will want to show they can score runs in all conditions.
India A squad: Hardik Pandya (C), Rishabh Pant, Rahul Gahlaut, AR Bawane, Ashoke Dinda, Shahbaz Nadeem, Kuldeep Yadav, B Indrajith, Priyank Panchal, Akhil Herwadkar, Shreyas Iyer, Gowtham K, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Ishan Kishan.
Australia playing XI: Steve Smith (C), David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell, Steve O'Keefe, Jackson Bird, Nathan Lyon.
When to watch live
The match is scheduled to begin at 9.30am IST (3pm AEDT, 4am GMT).
Live score information
There is no live coverage of the match on TV or online.
Follow the live score of the practice game HERE
