Any of these match ups could influence the outcome of the Perth Test.
Ravi Shastri guided India to back-to-back series wins in Australia and his short advice to current head coach Gautam Gambhir is to "stay calm" over the course of five Tests Down Under and avoid knee-jerk reactions.
Cheteshwar Pujara, who knows a thing or two about grinding the Australian attack in their den, backs K L Rahul to bat at the vital number three slot in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He says the swashbuckling Yashasvi Jaiswal is capable of doing what David Warner did in his prime.
'If he can get into that mindset -- which he has; he has got a lot of skill, a lot of flair and works hard on his game.'
Rohit is on a paternity break and will miss the series-opener. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is captaining the Indian team in his absence.
'He is a tall bowler and he will be able to generate bounce.' 'What goes in his favour is also his ability to get movement.'
Rain is expected to influence the first morning of play on Friday, with a 25% chance of showers forecast.
India will be under tremendous pressure when they face an equally circumspect Australia in a battle of two out-of-form batting units in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth
This period saw big stars of the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev fade into the sunset while it was witness to the birth of slew of young Indian cricketers that made their mark home and abroad.
Ricky Ponting advised star batters Virat Kohli and Steve Smith to stop trying hard to rediscover their best and pushing themselves too hard and just focus on watching the ball and scoring runs.
History has not seen a cricketing rivalry as fierce as this this century, every ball bowled every run taken, coming with no quarter given. Ahead of India's five Test tour of Australia, Norma Astrid Godinho/Rediff.com takes a walk down memory lane, recounting India's sojourns Down Under from 1947 to 2021, in a 4-part series.
Smith needs just 315 runs to become the fourth Australian batter after Ricky Ponting (13378), Allan Border (11174), and Steve Waugh (10927) to reach the landmark of 10,000 Test runs.
'Intensity and target. Fielding Coach T Dilip describes #TeamIndia's fielding drill in Perth.'
They'll wait to make a call with him up until the morning of the Test match, said India's bowling coach Morne Morkel.
Yash Dayal has been added to India's reserve pacers' list after Khaleel Ahmed had to be sent back home due to an unspecified niggle.
'I am pretty happy that Puj (Pujara) isn't here.'
'I think he's got the technique, he's got the patience to partner up with Uzzy (Khawaja) to allow himself to score big.'
There'll be some deterioration, grass will stand up during the game and offer that variable bounce, but in terms of big snake WACA cracks, unfortunately I don't think the weather is going to get us there, says pitch curator Isaac McDonald.
The right-hander feels that keeping India's relatively inexperienced pace attack, aside from Jasprit Bumrah, on the field for as long as possible could be the key for the hosts in the five-Test series beginning in Perth on Friday.
'You can only break through the doors or force the selectors to pick you for the Indian team by scoring runs consistently in domestic cricket and that is what he has done in the last so many years.'
Australia's mouthwatering clash with India sees the two behemoths of the modern game go head-to-head in five tests over six weeks with the tourists eyeing a third straight series triumph Down Under.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth?
With Kohli and Rohit misfiring, the pressure has mounted on opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and India's middle order to put the kind of scores on the board their bowlers can defend.
Smith has rarely, if ever, doubted his own talent but even he was aware that his spell at the top of the order was proving unpopular.
Shubman Gill's thumb fracture is certainly a "jolt" for India ahead of the series opener against Australia
The world No. 2 India are heading into the five-Test Border-Gavaskar series, starting in Perth on Friday, following their whitewash at home, which ended their 12-year unbeaten run in their own backyard.
Former all-rounder Shane Watson has advised the Australian team to avoid getting into confrontations with Virat Kohli in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Legendary Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy has urged the Aussie pace attack to target Virat Kohli's front pad and body in order to get him out in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Healy believes the Australian quicks should exploit any insecurity in Kohli's form, which has been inconsistent in recent months. He suggests targeting Kohli's front pad with seam deliveries and then resorting to "body bashing" if the first tactic fails.
Not since the golden era of the West Indies in the 1970s has a touring pace bowler struck fear into the hearts of Australians as much as Jasprit Bumrah.
Hailed as one of Indian cricket's brightest young talents, Yashasvi Jaiswal has made a dazzling start to his Test career.
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon has nothing but respect for India's batting great Virat Kohli.
Shafali Verma managed just 108 runs in six matches this year with 33 being the highest.
Glimpses from Team India's nets in Perth on Tuesday.
His century in the Perth Test during the 2018-2019 series is rated by many as his finest, which Virat Kohli also acknowledges as his best in Australia.
Mohammed Shami, who made a stunning return to competitive cricket in the Ranji Trophy, was selected for Bengal's squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20.
'Having performed on these grounds, he'll feel that extra bit of confidence.' 'Of course, you need a bit of luck at the start, but if he gets off to a good start, he will get big runs.'
'...there'll be nerves and a bit of pressure, but that's all part of it, and I'm just excited to see what it all brings.'
'I think Australia is going to win 3-1'
Head reckoned having closed-door sessions in Australia, shortly after India's unprecedented Test series defeat to New Zealand, would have allowed Kohli to find his rhythm.
Shastri said India's coaching staff under head coach Gautam Gambhir will have to ensure that the players are in a "good state of mind" going into the five-Test affair starting on November 22 at Optus Stadium in Perth.
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