It all starts Thursday at Nagpur’s VCA Stadium – about a half-hour drive down the dusty National Highway 44 from the city’s old venue where Australia sealed a historic triumph in 2004. And the first hurdle to clear is perhaps the most difficult.

India have lost only one series since at home – to England in 2012. In fact, they have dropped only eight of their past 84 Tests on these shores.

One of those was to Australia in the underrated series six years ago when the unfancied visitors came closer than many think to pulling off a stunning upset. Their failure to bury India in Bangalore after bundling the hosts out for 189 on the first day proved costly.

“In a way it’s become the biggest mountain for Australian sides, certainly the biggest challenge,” Taylor said of winning in India.

“To be honest, it’s not always considered that way from a fans’ point of view. [Australian] fans would give up not winning in India to make sure we win in England, but from a player point of view I’m sure the Aussie boys would love to tick that box, being a side that can win on the subcontinent.”

Eight of the current squad – Smith, Warner, Cummins, Hazlewood, Lyon, Starc, Matthew Renshaw and Peter Handscomb – featured in 2017. Warner’s form has notably trended down since, but Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green and Alex Carey are upgrades, suggesting the Australian team of 2023 is the stronger version.

Conversely, this is not a bad time to strike India. Skipper Rohit Sharma played just two of his team’s seven Tests last year. Virat Kohli has not hit a century in this format in well over three years. Ironman Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped 12 months ago, though he fought back after being recalled late last year. Star paceman Jasprit Bumrah is injured, so too their hero from the 2020-21 series, dynamic wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, and the in-form Shreyas Iyer. Without key innings from Pant and Iyer, India would likely have lost a Test to Bangladesh in December.

“Australia should look at it like that,” former India opener and now respected commentator Aakash Chopra said.

Chopra, though, does not believe Australia have the spin power to beat India on their home tracks. After a shaky start, Lyon’s credentials in Asia are bona fide, but Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson are unproven at Test level, and Todd Murphy is untried. What Australia would give for a younger and sounder Steve O’Keefe.

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“You need serious quality of spin to beat India in India,” Chopra said. “Similarly, when we went to Australia we knew our spin was great, but we needed a quartet of bowlers to take on Australia in Australia. We didn’t have that. We kept competing but couldn’t cross the final frontier.

“Swepson, Agar – they’re all right, but if it’s a good batting surface I don’t think they’re running through the Indian batting line-up, even though there’s no Rishabh Pant, no Shreyas Iyer. There is still enough quality to see through whatever challenges might come their way.

“The lack of quality spin is one thing that might actually play a pivotal role in Australia’s chances with regards to the series.

“On good pitches that can take the game into the fifth day, then I don’t see any possible vulnerability that will cost India the series. Maybe a Test, but not the series.”

Australia are well clear at the top of the Test rankings and World Test Championship table, but for Chopra if the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is not regained they cannot even lay claim to being the best team of today, let alone warrant comparison to previous eras.

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“Potentially yes if you beat India in India, England in England, which is plausible, and the World Cup in India,” Chopra said.

“Wow, if they can do all three, yes, yes, it would be a momentous year in an already glorious Australian cricket history, but it will take a lot of doing for this Pat Cummins-led team to beat India and lift the World Cup.”

Winning in Pakistan last year was a step in the right direction, but the drawn series in Sri Lanka was another reminder of just how hard it is for Australian teams to win in this part of the world.

“They’ve ticked the Pakistan box last year, if they can win in India it’s a big feather in the cap and to Pat Cummins,” Taylor said. “If they can win in India that would certainly put them up there as one of the great Australian sides.”

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