Cheteshwara Pujara, being one of the differences between the two sides during the last trip down under, is definitely playing on the minds of the Australian team, as off-spinner Nathan Lyon said his team will come up with new plans to sneak through the Indian No.3's defence when the contest resumes for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy next Aussie summer.
Pujara scored 521 runs 74.42, including three hundreds in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, to help India win a series in Australia for the very first time.
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For Lyon, on the other hand, there is a score to settle after struggling to overcome the mighty "new wall" throughout those four Tests in a battle that perhaps decided the series, especially with its effects on Australia's three-pronged pace battery.
"I think Pujara flies under the radar a little bit when you look at the Indian cricket side," Cricbuzz quoted Lyon as saying. "Obviously, you look at (Ajinkya) Rahane and Virat (Kohli) and these guys. But Pujara is a wall. And he's the new wall I should say. It helps that he played exceptionally well last time out here. He adapted his game."
"He had a bit of luck which is what you need when you're playing at the top level. He obviously played his absolute backside off."
Whenever the COVID-19 pandemic relents and allows cricket to safely resume, that's one series which everyone will look forward to purely because of the rivalry between the two countries.
"They're an absolute powerhouse of the cricket world. To have those guys out here is going to be fantastic," said Lyon. "I haven't thought about no crowds (a possibility, given the outbreak) or massive crowds - it's just about the opportunity of playing against India again."
"They had the wood over us last time they came over here but we're a much stronger Australian cricket side at the moment. I'm just unbelievably excited about playing them over here at home."
Unlike the last trip, the series looks set to begin in Brisbane, where Australia is undefeated since 1988, and also feature a traditional pink-ball D/N Test in Adelaide, leading to more trying circumstances for batsmen from either side. Especially if growing criticism of surfaces at MCG and SCG, force curators to ensure there is something on offer for the bowlers at the two iconic venues.
The Aussies will be bolstered by the return of veterans Steve Smith and David Warner, who weren't there because of proven involvement in the ball-tampering incident in South Africa.
But Virat Kohli's men will definitely be up for the challenge.
(Inputs from Cricbuzz)
