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Australia XI equation clearer

With the first Test looming, the skipper and pace veteran appear ready

Shane Watson admits he has "no idea" what the make-up of Australia's bowling attack will be for the first Commonwealth Bank Test against India.

Selection dilemmas, which normally dominate the lead-up to any Test, have seemed trivial this week as Australia's players have returned to training for the first time since the passing of Phillip Hughes

But with just two days to go before the first Test of the summer, Australia's four-man selection panel of Rod Marsh, Trevor Hohns, Mark Waugh and Darren Lehmann gathered in Adelaide today to discuss the make-up of the final XI.

The rescheduled four-game series has been squeezed into just four weeks, and with a three-day break between the first two matches and just four days between the second and third Tests, managing player workloads will be in the forefront of the selectors' minds.

Skipper Michael Clarke has seemed uninhibited this weekend by the effects of his latest hamstring injury, moving well at training as he looks to prove his fitness for what would be his 40th Test as captain.

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Reserve batsman Shaun Marsh will be left out of the side if Clarke is passed fit, and one of the four fast-bowlers in the squad - Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle or Josh Hazlewood - is set to join the Western Australian on the sidelines.

With a traditionally flat Adelaide Oval surface expected, and with the pace-bowling of allrounders Watson and Mitchell Marsh as back-up, it's extremely unlikely that spinner Nathan Lyon will be left out in favour of a four-man pace attack.

Johnson, the ICC's International Cricketer of the Year, seems certain to play having started the summer brightly in the Carlton Mid ODI series against South Africa last month.

Harris, who is looking to play his first Test since undergoing major knee surgery in March, took seven wickets in his return to first-class cricket at the Gabba three weeks ago.

The 35-year-old, often his own worst critic, had hoped to play another Bupa Sheffield Shield match before returning to the Test side, but has had to be content with net bowling in the past few weeks.

Watson faced Harris at training today and the allrounder echoed the words of Brad Haddin, who yesterday declared that the right-armer had rediscovered the "zip and nip" that has earnt him 103 wickets in 24 Tests.

"Ryan will always make sure that he gets himself up for a Test," Watson said.

"I know back-to-back Tests is a challenge but Ryan's done extremely well out here in Adelaide in the past.

"I know the way Ryan is; he'd be wanting to make the most of any opportunity that comes his way."

Watson was also keen to praise the uncapped Hazlewood, who forced his way into Test calculations with nine wickets in the series against the Proteas, including figures of 5-31 in Perth.

A country kid from the small NSW town of Bendemeer, near Tamworth, Hazlewood made his first-class debut as a 17-year-old and has long been considered a Test cricketer in waiting.

The right-armer's progress has been stalled by injury, but now that he's fit, Watson can barely hide his excitement at the thought of his NSW Blues teammate being unleashed in the Test arena.

"He's got all the attributes to be something extremely special, even now," Watson said.

"He's got height, he holds his height so he gets great bounce out of any wicket ... how he swings the ball and how he controls the ball out of his hand is well beyond his years.

"So there's no doubt that whenever he gets his opportunity, he certainly will be ready to go.

"All Josh needed over the last couple of years was to just be able to put a few games together like he has.

"His body is getting much more resilient now and he's got incredible skills.

"I know what he's going to be able to do to the best batters in the world."

Working in Siddle's favour at the selection table will be his exceptional record in the batsmen-friendly conditions at the Adelaide Oval.

The Victorian has taken 17 wickets in his past three Tests here, including figures of 5-49 in a man-of-the-match performance against the Indians in 2012.

He then bowled himself into the ground against the Proteas here 11 months later, taking 4-65 in a drawn match, and took five wickets in the comfortable win against England last summer.

And while the 55-Test veteran managed only two wickets in the recent series against Pakistan, he returned to Shield cricket three weeks ago with match figures of 7-85, again at the Adelaide Oval.