Nathan Lyon said it really hurt Australia when it lost to India at home the last time.
The premier Australian off-spinner is really looking forward to the four-match tussle, which he believes is as high in the level of importance as the Ashes.
"It’s getting up there to the pinnacle series alongside Ashes. Obviously, they have got a side full of superstars and it’s going to be an amazing challenge this summer," TOI quoted Lyon as saying this Wednesday (June 24).
India is scheduled to travel to Australia in December-January, with the first Test in Brisbane starting December 3, followed by games in Adelaide (December 11-15), Melbourne (December 26-30) and Sydney (January 3-7).
For the Aussies, there will be a record to settle against the arch-rivals, having gone down 2-1 when Virat Kohli & company last visited there in the 2018-19 season. India became the first Asian side to win a Test series in Australia.
"You definitely don’t like losing games or series while playing for Australia," Lyon said. "However, he was clear that India was the better of the two sides during the course of that series."
"Obviously, India, a couple of years ago, they outplayed us so we are looking to have those guys come out here," he added.
However, the biggest hurdle facing the marquee series is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to an unprecedented health crisis around the world.
Even though Australia is recovering smoother and travelling restrictions within the country have been gradually lifted, in India the pandemic seems to have only begun peaking now, with the number of positive cases on a constant rise.
Australian players have resumed training, but their Indian counterparts are yet to have a proper camp together. The only respite has been individual training in empty grounds, as has been allowed by the government.
(Inputs from TOI)