IND v AUS 2020: Australia's predicted playing XI for the 1st Test

Australia and India shared the spoils in the white-ball leg of the tour, and the two rivals will now square off in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The 4-Test series begins on December 17 with a pink-ball game at the Adelaide Oval, and Australia, who have won all 7 Day-Night matches they've taken part in, will start as the firm favourites.

The hosts have a few injury concerns to sort out, but they should still be able to name a strong side. Here is Australia's predicted playing XI for the 1st Test against India.

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Openers: Marcus Harris, Matthew Wade

Australia's opening combination seems to be their Achilles heel

The opening combination is the biggest issue that Australia have to address. Coach Justin Langer initially threw his weight behind David Warner and Joe Burns opening the innings with the young Will Pucovski as a backup.

However, all three batsmen are not likely to play in the 1st Test. While Warner has been ruled out of the encounter due to a groin strain he suffered in the ODI series, Pucovski suffered yet another concussion in the first warm-up game to meet the same fate. Burns, on the other hand, is in the worst form of life, and the latest instalment of his misery saw him score 5 runs in 4 innings against India A.

Marcus Harris, who was announced as Pucovski's replacement for the 1st Test, is likely to slot in at the top of the order. The southpaw was Australia's leading run-scorer in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and has shown the ability to grind it out against the new ball.

The other opener - Matthew Wade - is a more left-field choice, but seems likely give the composition of Australia's playing XI and his own success at the top of the order in the limited-overs formats. The wicket-keeper has become a staple of the Australian middle order in Test cricket, but with young Cameron Green set to make his Test debut, he might not have a place there.

Wade was superb in the T20I series against India, and has opened the batting consistently for the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League. Although the Test format is a completely different ball game (literally speaking), the 32-year-old can be trusted to use his experience and solid technique to make an impact.

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Middle Order: Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Tim Paine (c & wk)

Australia will want Labuschagne to build on his incredible start to Test cricket

Since worming his way into the Australian playing XI as a concussion substitute for Steve Smith in the 2019 Ashes, Marnus Labuschagne has taken great strides to become one of his country's most important batsmen. The 26-year-old averages 63.4 in Test cricket, and has 4 hundreds and 3 fifties in his last 8 innings in the format. Labuschagne has played only one innings against India in which he scored 38 runs, and he'll be keen on bettering his already exemplary Test record.

Following him will be partner-in-crime Steve Smith. The former Aussie skipper's record in red-ball cricket need not be spoken of, and his average against India - 84.06 - will give bowlers plenty of sleepless nights. Much has been made of the 31-year-old returning to face his favourite opposition, and he'll want to ensure that the talk translates into match-winning performances.

Travis Head has rounded a corner with his batting of late, and has established himself as one of the key components of Australia's middle order. With an average a shade under 42, the southpaw has matured into a dependable batsman over the last few years. Head's form will mean that the returning Shaun Marsh will have to wait a bit longer to don the Baggy Green once again.

Cameron Green suffered a mild concussion after being hit by the ball in his follow-through in the second warm-up game, but he is expected to recover ahead of the 1st Test. Langer confirmed that the 21-year-old, who impressed with both ball and bat for Australia A recently, is in line to make his Test debut if he is fit.

Green is considered as one of the brightest talents in the country, and he'll be thrown into the cauldron that is international cricket against one of the best teams in the world. The Aussies will want him to step up and make meaningful contributions in both departments.

The final component of the Australian middle order will be captain Tim Paine. The wicket-keeper's performances with the bat have been far from satisfactory, but he has shepherded his team through the turbulent ball-tampering saga successfully.

Paine's role in the Australian team has been brought into question by the presence of another full-time keeper in Wade. With age not on his side and Smith's captaincy return being discussed at length, he will need to notch up some big scores in the 4-Test series.

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Bowlers: Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

Australia's Nathan Lyon has been a class apart with the pink ball

Australia's bowling attack - Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood - picks itself. The quartet have served their country brilliantly over the last few years, and have firmly established themselves as some of the best bowlers in the world.

While Cummins has been penetrative and consistent for Australia across formats, Starc has been a massive threat with the pink ball. Both players are on the back of rather unremarkable limited-overs series, but they are well-rested and will be raring to go against a shaky Indian batting lineup.

Hazlewood, on the other hand, was impressive in the white-ball leg of the tour. He'll serve up nagging lines and lengths as usual, and will resume his battles with Indian skipper Virat Kohli and No. 3 Cheteshwar Pujara.

Lyon has been perhaps the only spinner to seamlessly make the transition to Day-Night cricket, and this is largely due to the number of revs he puts on the pink ball. The veteran off-spinner was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 21 scalps, and he could continue from where he left off.