Desperate to finalise India's plans for the World Cup with as many hard-fought ODIs as possible, Virat Kohli admits scheduling a pair of Twenty20s at the start of Australia's tour is far from logical.
India, widely expected to be England's greatest challenge at this year's World Cup, are hosting Aaron Finch's team in a five-match ODI series.
But the rivals will first play two T20s, starting with a clash in Vizag at 1230am AEDT on Monday.
Kohli admits he would have preferred more 50-over match practice against Australia.
"That would have been ideal (to play ODIs instead of T20s), more I would say logical," Kohli said.
"A couple more one-dayers would have been beneficial for both teams but we have to utilise what's in front of us as best as possible ... that's the way series are compiled nowadays."
Australia travel to the UAE after this tour for another five-match ODI series, against Pakistan, then in May their World Cup squad will assemble for a training camp in Brisbane.
In sharp contrast, the series finale in Delhi will be Kohli's last ODI before his squad travel to England for the World Cup.
It is the first time that India's lucrative T20 tournament has ever run straight into a World Cup, an issue that prompted Cricket Australia to take an unprecedented position on player availability for the IPL.
Kohli is also well aware of the risks involved of playing so much T20 cricket before the one-day showpiece, admitting there will be challenges.
"All of the people who are part of the World Cup squad, they have to make sure they don't go too much away from the one-day mode," he said.
"We'll have to be wary of the bad habits that might creep in ... we need 15 people really happy mentally with where their game is.
"If you're hitting the ball well then there's no need to go to a practice session and tire yourself out for three hours."
For Kohli, who led India to their first Test series victory in Australia but skipped the second half of the ensuing New Zealand tour, the series will be the last chance to identify the batsman to fill a middle order spot in an otherwise settled World Cup side.
Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav, a lock for the World Cup, has been rested from the T20s against Australia while star allrounder Hardik Pandya (back) has been ruled out of the entire series.
