IND v AUS: Batting is Australia's best chance at success, writes Ian Chappell

Steven Smith during his hundred against India A in the warmup tie PicSuresh KarkeraStevenacircAcircAcircu00c2u0080AcircAcircu00c2u0088Smiths Australian side faces the daunting task of trying to defeat a buoyant Indian side ably led by Virat Kohli To put the task into context in thirteen Tests Kohli is undefeated as a captain at home The closest any team has come to victory over a Kohli led side was South Africas 108 run loss in the opening Test of their series That was the first in the thirteen match sequence and what has followed has been a succession of even greater Indian triumphs over increasingly hapless opponents Australia will need to be mentally tough as well and maintain a high skill level to halt this trendSmiths team has prepared diligently albeit mostly on specially concocted pitches in Dubai This raises the question of whether the Australians were better off in the relative comfort of the nets or if it wouldve been wiser to challenge themselves in the highly competitive atmosphere of the Sheffield Shield competitionIn general nothing beats confidence acquired from making runs or taking wickets in a competitive atmosphere The Australians might have gained some insights from practicing on spinning pitches in Dubai but until theyre tested out in the middle in the heat of battle those discoveries are only theories In addition to whether they can make enough runs to challenge India or keep the home sides rampant batsmen in check Australia has three main headachesShould they prefer the inexperienced but promising Matt Renshaw over the talented but injury prone Shaun Marsh in the opening position Given the adjustments Renshaw has made in each successive Test hes played and his catching ability at first slip he should get first crack as openerIf Renshaw is selected the elder Marsh will then bat in the middleorder Australia then has to decide whether Usman Khawaja is used to bolster the batting or if they utilise an allrounder at six If they opt for an allrounder is it Mitch Marsh to complement the pace attack or if the preference is for more spin bowling options do they gamble on Glenn Maxwell Choosing Maxwell is a risk Hes like a stick of dynamite mdash explosive but also capable of detonating prematurelyAustralias other concern is Matthew Wades wicketkeeping Hes another risky choice because hes a flawed gloveman Choosing Wade is purely a gamble that the runs he could potentially score will exceed those he might concede The odds arent favourable in India as opponents cant afford to reprieve batsmen of the calibre of Kohli and company Wade will have his technique regularly tested in India in the most demanding position for a keeper standing up to the stumpsThen theres the matter of Australias batting order It appears that Smith has made the wise decision to promote himself to number three so that India wont have a trio of lefthanders to attack at the start of an innings This would be too much of a luxury for R Ashwin who has a distinct fondness for bowling to lefthandersThis move also has the advantage of separating Australias two best players of spin Smith and Peter Handscomb while also maintaining a leftright combination through the middle order That batting lineup gives Australia its best chance of success as well as making Kohlis job just a little more challengingSmith will face his own captaincy challenge as he wrestles with getting the balance right between when to use pace and when to opt for spin In Australia he seems more comfortable using pace bowlers rather than spinnersThe penetrative pair of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will benefit if theyre used in short sharp spells It will also help Australias cause if both are reasonably fresh when the highly dangerous Kohli first arrives at the crease If Smith underuses Nathan Lyon itll mean longer spells for the two pace spearheadsA confident Australian squad has arrived in India after a solid prolonged preparation in the nets Maintaining that confidence through a gruelling Test series is a challenge that is rarely met by teams touring India