Mitch's left foot: Why Lyon welcomes Starc's return

While Mitch Starc will be warmly welcomed into the Australia camp today with open arms, there is perhaps no person more excited to see the fast bowler than Nathan Lyon.

Starc is set to arrive in Adelaide today ahead of Thursday's first Vodafone Test against India, along with the other Test squad members who had been representing Australia A, after taking compassionate leave due to a family illness. 

Lyon, one of Starc's best friends, has been texting the left-armer every day since he left the bio-secure bubble late last month to the point where the off-spinner expects he is annoying him.

And while it's their mateship he values most, Lyon is also thrilled to have Starc in the XI creating rough with his left-arm angle that should come into play against India's dominant right-handed batting order.

India look set to field a top six full of right-handers, headlined by captain Virat Kohli and batting barnacle Cheteshwar Pujara.  

The supporting cast includes Ajinkya Rahane, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari and KL Rahul, all right-handed and all a chance to play in the series opener.

Lyon, who is 10 short of 400 Test wickets, has a significantly better strike-rate and average against left-handed batters than he does right-handers, but the 96-Test veteran says it's a challenge he has been working through his whole career.

And it helps having Starc's big boots bowling at the other end creating the rough outside the right-handers' off stump that Lyon can aim for and hope for unpredictable turn and bounce.

"I've obviously been working quite hard on bowling to right-handers," Lyon said from Adelaide.

"There's many of them in world cricket, so it's not a new challenge for me.

"I'm looking to really try and compete against both edges, try to bring both edges into play with catchers around the bat.

"So it's going to be a big challenge but I'm very lucky Mitch Starc is going to join the squad today, it should be good fun."

Not only is bowling to India's right-handers a challenge, but the visiting batters are all adept at playing spin bowling having grown up on the spinning pitches of the subcontinent.

But Lyon has excelled against India, both home and away. In Australia he has 51 wickets in 10 Tests, including a match-winning 12-wicket haul at the Adelaide Oval in 2014. And in India, he has 34 wickets in seven matches at a better average and strike-rate than on home soil.

While India's batters present a daunting threat, Lyon says he does not change the way he goes about his business and welcomes the aggressive attitude of the visitors.

"They're a very attacking side. They always want to attack a spinner which is fantastic," he said.

"I love that challenge. But to be honest it's more about me and playing my role within the Australian cricket side and doing what (captain) Tim Paine has asked me to do.

"It's about doing the little one-percent things and not worrying too far about what India is doing.

"We know the quality of cricketers they've got in their squad and we know how they come out and play their cricket.

"It's a good challenge. But I don't approach my bowling any different just because it's India, that's for sure.

"Over the past five years my bowling has probably gone to a new level – I'm really confident with where my bowling is at at the moment."

Vodafone Test Series v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

India Test squad: Virat Kohli (c) (first Test only), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj

First Test: December 17-21, Adelaide Oval, 3pm AEDT (day-night)

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG, 10.30am AEDT

Third Test: January 7-11, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Fourth Test: January 15-19, Gabba, 11am AEDT