India vs Australia, 1st Test: Key battles to look out for in opening Test at Adelaide Oval

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The most anticipated Test series is going to start from December 6 where India will clash against Australia in a bid to silence their critics who have slammed the No.1-ranked Test side for their poor overseas record.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, the hosts have announced their playing XI while the visitors revealed the 12-member squad. There were some surprise exclusions in both the teams as Australian decided to rest their all-rounder Mitchell Marsh while Indian team went against the policy of five bowlers in the team and excluded Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav.

For the first time in history, cricket pundits have chosen the Asian giants as their favourites over the mighty Kangaroos. It is because of the current form of the hosts who are also missing their key players - Steve Smith and David Warner - who have been suspended for one year after their involvement in ball-tampering fiasco earlier this year.

It will surely be a series to watch out for before the 2019 ICC World Cup and both teams will give their all to achieve the glory and the journey will start from Adelaide Oval.

Here are the key battles that will spark the first Test of the four-match Test series.

1. Virat Kohli vs Mitchell Starc

From the start, this series has been touted as the 'Kohli vs Australia' affair and the only bowler who can apply the breaks on 'Run Machine' Kohli is the lethal Mitchell Starc. Kohli and Starc are former Royal Challenger Bangalore mates and are good friends outside the field. Their stint in the IPL can come in handy for each other. Starc has been one of the most prolific bowlers of red ball in modern cricket and Kohli is surely the greatest batsman of this generation. So, this battle will definitely create a lot of buzz at the Adelaide Oval.

2. Indian openers vs Pat Cummins

The visitors got a major setback in the warm-up match when their in-form opener Prithvi Shaw injured his ankle and was ruled out of the first Test. The opening problems got slimmer when Murali Vijay slammed an astonishing century at the top in the second innings of the same match. However, the bouncy pitch of Oval will be very helpful for tall Aussie pacer Pat Cummins who is famous to create fear in batsmen's mind with his short balls. It will be interesting to see how KL Rahul and Vijay tackle his pace in the initial overs.

3. Ajinkya Rahane & Cheteshwar Pujara vs Josh Hazlewood

Pujara has been India's Test specialist from quite a few years now and has been involved in many big partnerships with openers and skipper Kohli. It will be a huge series for him to show his character against a big team in overseas conditions. Meanwhile, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has been struggling with his poor form this year and has been vulnerable against swing bowling. The hosts, who have the traditional swing bowler in their den with Josh Hazlewood, would like to explore Rahane's weaknesses. The 27-year-old will be very tricky for Indian batsmen to pick with his amazing talent to swing the ball both ways.