India haven't lost at home in their past 20 Tests and Australia's subcontinental form is woeful, but Steve Smith has endorsed a feisty approach from his side just over a week out from the series opener in Pune.
Following a training camp in Dubai to prepare for the four-Test series, the Australian captain was in an upbeat mood looking ahead to the next six weeks against the No.1-ranked and well-balanced India at home.
It's easily the toughest tour in international cricket.
Virat Kohli and Ravi Ashwin are in freakish form.
And it comes only six months after Australia were humiliated 3-0 in Sri Lanka, their third straight whitewash loss in Asia after a 2-0 defeat to Pakistan in the UAE in 2014 and a 4-0 drubbing in India a year earlier.
But Smith was far from undeterred when speaking in Mumbai, where Australia play their only warm-up game - a three-day fixture against India A starting on Thursday.
He's not going to stop his players taking it to Kohli's side - who have recorded 17 wins and three draws in their last 20 Test matches at home - if that's what they believe might give them an edge in the hot, dry and draining conditions.
"If they (individuals) want to get into a battle verbally, and that gets the best out of them then go for it," said Smith.
"It's all about us making sure that us as individuals are in the right mind set to go out and succeed.
"In the end it's about us playing on skill and making sure that our skills are in the best place for us to succeed in these conditions."
While Nathan Lyon and Australia's other spinners have struggled for the same effectiveness as their slow-bowling rivals in Asia over the past four years, the tourists' batting has been their main weakness.
They haven't scored enough runs to give their bowlers, who might ultimately rely more on Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood's pace and reverse swing, a chance to stay in the grind.
In Dubai, Australia's batsmen worked on ways to score and survive against the relentlessly accurate spin bowling they're set to face mostly from Ashwin and left-armer Ravindra Jadeja.
"Guys were able to try and find the best way to hopefully have success here in India, it's so foreign to what we get back home," Smith said.
"You don't really want people to change their natural games, it's always important to be positive and look to score.
"The moment you start defending you're probably in trouble.
"But ultimately your defence is what helps you out when you're in trouble and it's going to be important that our defences are strong."
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