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Red letter day awaits Aussie quicks

Return to traditional Test format in Adelaide throws up rare quirk ahead of first Test against India

India have never won a Test series on Australian soil, but the hosts' home advantage could be quelled somewhat by an unusual quirk heading into the Domain series opener at Adelaide Oval from Thursday.

Australia's all-star pace attack look set to reunite but, in a rare twist, the trio’s combined experience playing red-ball matches at the venue is trumped by India’s pace attack.

None of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc or Pat Cummins have played a traditional Test at Adelaide Oval – the last three games have all been day-night affairs played with a pink ball.

Aussie quicks on song in net session

Nor do those quicks have much first-class experience with the conventional Kookaburra ball in Adelaide given the number of day-night Sheffield Shield games played there in recent years; Starc played the last of his two red-ball Sheffield Shield games in Adelaide in 2011, Hazlewood's only non-day-night match was in 2010, while Cummins has never featured in one.

Remarkably, the trio's entire tally of red-ball games in the City of Churches is matched by veteran India paceman Ishant Sharma.

The 30-year-old is in line to play the fourth Test of his career there, having played at the venue in the 2007-08, 2011-12 and 2014-15 series, while fellow tourist Mohammad Shami could play his second.

"I don't think I've played a red-ball game here in quite a while," Hazlewood told reporters.

"The wicket will play pretty similar, hopefully the red ball stays harder for a touch longer and we can get that nice carry and bounce … There's always a nice coverage of grass.

"I think the wicket will play pretty similar, hopefully the red ball stays harder for a touch longer and we can get that nice carry and bounce.

"The day-night Test can swing around pretty quickly if you have a new ball at night, so I guess this one is going to be a bit more even over the course of the day.

"I'm actually looking forward to getting a red ball on this wicket."

Aussie quicks on song in net session

But given their returns with the pink ball in Adelaide, Australia's attack will be relishing the prospect of returning.

Hazlewood has captured 18 wickets at 19.44 from three Tests in South Australia with the highlight being a career-best match haul of 9-136 in the inaugural day-night Test. Starc meanwhile has 17 scalps at 19 at the venue and Cummins took three wickets in his Adelaide debut last summer.

Those games have all been played under lights as per Cricket Australia's wish to make Adelaide Oval the home of day-night Test cricket, but this year, CA was unable to convince the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to adopt the innovation.

Allrounder Mitch Marsh, who played against India four years ago in Adelaide, captained Western Australia in a red-ball Shield game against South Australia last month and said the pitch provided an even contest.

"It was a very good cricket wicket," said Marsh. "We actually won the toss and bowled first.

"There was enough in it with the new ball to take wickets and once you got in it was the Adelaide Oval (of old). It was very even for both sides."

The workload of Australia's quicks will be carefully monitored this summer but Hazlewood is confident they're primed to get through the four-Test series against India, which also sees matches in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

"Four in a month is tough going, it all depends how much you bowl during the games," the vice-captain said.

"Maybe Adelaide and Perth will have the most in the wickets out of the four tracks. If you get a light innings here or there it pays dividends later in the summer. We're confident.

"Mitch Starc has probably played the most in the last two months but Pat and I have had a really good all-round preparation (too)."

- with AAP

Domain Test Series v India

Dec 6-10: First Test, Adelaide Oval

Dec 14-18: Second Test, Perth Stadium

Dec 26-30: Third Test, MCG

Jan 3-7: Fourth Test, SCG

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c, wk), Josh Hazlewood (vc), Mitch Marsh (vc), Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Chris Tremain

India squad: Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant (wk), Parthiv Patel (wk), Ravi Ashwin, Ravi Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar