Australian captain Tim Paine has admitted that the Test series defeat to India in 2018-19 still "annoys" him but insisted that the hosts are keen to do well against Virat Kohli's side in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting December 17.
See Also: Tim Paine terms Virat Kohli as a polarizing personality in Australia
Cricket pundits believe India will face a stern test in Australia this summer due to the presence of Steve Smith and David Warner.
Under Kohli’s leadership, India won their maiden Test series on Australian soil in 2018-19 but Smith, Warner were serving their 12-month ball-tampering ban at that time.
"Certainly for me sitting back it still annoys me that we lost that Test series. Whether we had Steve or David or not you don't want to be losing any Test matches or Test series you're involved in, so that still grinds me a little bit," Paine told 2GB's WWOS radio, as quoted by Fox Cricket.
The skipper believes that the inclusion of Smith and Warner will give the Australian Test side a different outlook.
"I know that it drives a lot of the guys that were involved in that and I certainly know Steve and David are looking forward to coming back and showing just how good they are as well," Paine remarked.
"I think we're a much better all round side. Not just adding Steve and David back into it, which is a hell of a lot of runs to add back into a side, but I think every other cricketer in that team has improved in the last 18 months as well and we've been playing some really good cricket, whereas back then I think we were finding our way through a really challenging or different type of set up.
"Everyone is absolutely pumped."
The battle for the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy will kick-start with the pink-ball affair at the Adelaide Oval on December 17. Melbourne will host the second Test from December 26 while the third and fourth Tests will be played in Sydney Cricket Ground (January 7-11) and Brisbane's Gabba (January 15-19), respectively.
Virat Kohli will miss the last three Tests due to the birth of his first child.
Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma are expecting a child in January, and the Indian captain has been granted permission by the BCCI to return home after the Test series opener.
