Aussie 'idol' a hit among current crop

If 'fearless' is the watchword for Australia on the Commonwealth Bank Tour of India, 'resilience' is likely a close second.

Leading into the limited-overs tour, coach Matthew Mott spoke of the need for the Australians to build resilience ahead of a packed 14-month calendar that will see the team compete in two World T20s and an away Ashes series – alongside a host of other bilateral series – between October this year and February 2020.

There are few better places to build that resilience than in the tough, demanding conditions of the subcontinent – and if the players are looking for advice on how exactly to acquire that ineffable quality, there are few better equipped to turn to than Australia assistant coach Shelley Nitschke.

NItschke has joined the Australia squad alongside fellow assistant Ashley Noffke for the ODI and T20 tour, her first foray back into the national side since retiring – at the peak of her powers, ranked the world's No.1 allrounder and bowler – in 2011.

The four-time Belinda Clark Award-winning allrounder's first international tour was to India in 2004, and after a baptism of fire on that trip, she's been eager to ensure the current crop of players are better prepared.

"I'm hoping I can share some of my experiences with them and help, my first tour back in 2004 wasn't very good and I learnt a lot," Nitschke, who has been progressing through the Australian coaching ranks since her retirement, told cricket.com.au.

"I feel like I can pass some of that on to them and help them so they don't have to learn the hard way, like I did."

A left-arm spinner who took 153 international wickets, Nitschke has been working closely with Australia's tweakers on tour, helping them prepare to tackle a strong India batting line-up who thrive in their home conditions.

"As a spin bowler, you come away knowing the pitches turn quite a bit in India, but when you play India here you have to remember they play these conditions better than anyone in the world and they probably play spin better than most," Nitschke said.

"So it's about having real resilience and being able to adapt. You've got to expect them to be good at it … so it's about being prepared for that and just having to compete and find a way.

"I think if you get through a tour of India and manage to find ways to compete, then you're a better player for it. You can learn so much from it."

Nitschke has been particularly excited about what she's seen from 20-year-old off-spinning allrounder Ashleigh Gardner.

"Ash just gets a lot of revs on the ball and is really able to bowl into the wickets here and gets a fair bit of bite – spin but also bounce.

"For a finger spinner she can be quite a handful. She could wreck some havoc on these wickets if she gets it right."

Nitschke has been involved in coaching roles with South Australia and Cricket Australia since calling time on her playing days – and was a playing assistant at the Strikers during the inaugural Rebel WBBL season – with this tour her first with the Southern Stars squad.

If Ricky Ponting's tenures with the men's T20I squads during the past two summers have left some players awed at being mentored by a legend of the game, Nitschke has a similar effect.

"She's definitely an idol of mine, a top-order left-hand batter," Australia opener Nicole Bolton said at the beginning of the tour.

"What better person to learn from? Her experience as a spinner, particularly being in India with our spinners, has been instrumental for our planning.

"She's a laid-back character and we're really fortunate to have her involved."

Commonwealth Bank Tour of India

Australia ODI squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Belinda Vakarewa, Elyse Villani, Amanda-Jade Wellington

Australia T20 squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Naomi Stalenberg, Elyse Villani, Amanda-Jade Wellington

India ODI squad: Mithali Raj (Captain), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Smriti Mandhana, Punam Raut, Jemimah Rodrigues, Veda Krishnamurthy, Mona Meshram, Sushma Verma, Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shikha Pandey, Sukanya Parida, Pooja Vastrakar, Deepti Sharma

India T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Mithali Raj, Veda Krishnamurthy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Anuja Patil, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Rumeli Dhar, Mona Meshram.

England T20I squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Katie George, Jenny Gunn, Alex Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones, Anya Shrubsole, Bryony Smith, Nat Sciver, Fran Wilson, Danni Wyatt

Warm-up match Australia beat India A by 321 runs. Report

Warm-up match Australia beat India A by seven wickets. Report

ODI series

First ODI Australia won by eight wickets Scorecard

Second ODI Australia won by 60 runs Scorecard 

Third ODI Reliance Stadium, Vadodara, March 18

T20I tri-series

First T20I Australia v India, Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, March 22

Second T20I Australia v England, Brabourne Stadium, March 23

Third T20I India v England, Brabourne Stadium, March 25

Fourth T20I Australia v India, Brabourne Stadium, March 26

Fifth T20I Australia v England, Brabourne Stadium, March 28

Sixth T20I India v England, Brabourne Stadium, March 29

Final Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, March 31