The Cricketer runs down the who, what, where, when, why, which channel and how wet will be as two of the biggest nations around do battle
India and Australia clash in three stand-alone one-day internationals. In the first of two successive years punctuated by a T20 World Cup, which of these international behemoths will get the better of the meeting?
FIRST ODI: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Tuesday, January 14, 1:30pm local time, 8am GMT)
SECOND ODI: Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot (Friday, January 9, 1:30pm local time, 8am GMT)
THIRD ODI: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore (Sunday, January 19, 1:30pm local time, 8am GMT)
Since the World Cup it has been plain-sailing for India in the 50-over format, with back-to-back series against West Indies.
They left the United States and the Caribbean with a 2-0 series win before edging the Windies 2-1 on their own patch.
Those clashes just prior to Christmas were much closer than many expected, after the Men in Maroon won the opening encounter on a slow surface in Chennai.
Expectation will ratchet up for the visit of Australia, who India suffered a series defeat to just 12 months ago.
That the two nations are contesting an ODI series against each other in the first of two consecutive years which is illuminated by a T20 World Cup is somewhat curious.
Indeed, the Baggy Green are not even sticking around for a 20-over series. Instead, they will return home for the climax to the Big Bash League before they go to South Africa in February and March.
Amid suggestions the two nations, along with England, want to develop a four-team biannual super series, it is hard to be anything other than sceptical regarding the motivation for such a series - which lends little context for the remainder of the calendar.
Jasprit Bumrah is back for India
Jasprit Bumrah returns for India after a stress fracture to his lower back and played in each of this month's three T20s against Sri Lanka.
Rohit Sharma was rested for that series but returns for the ODIs and will duel for a berth at the top of the order with the retuning Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul.
Mohammed Shami was also rested for the Sri Lanka matches but is available to face Australia. There is no Hardik Pandya or Deepak Chahar, who are recovering from respective back problems, while Prithi Shaw is with the India A team.
India squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), K. L. Rahul, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav
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The Baggy Green are arguably the form team in world cricket right now.
Since they retained the Ashes, Australia have lived off a diet of T20 and Test cricket, and have barely given an inch.
They have won 10 matches in a row (it would have been 11 had rain not interfered against Pakistan in Sydney) and each by an emphatic margin.
Coupled with that run has been the magnificent form of David Warner, who has been mesmeric since returning from England.
Four centuries, two fifties and records galore has seen Warner emerge as the most destructive batsman in the world right now.
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Many of Australia's players have been preparing for the series in the Big Bash.
The series will see Marnus Labuschagne rewarded for his incredible start to his second incarnation as a Test player with a run in the ODI team.
He struck a century in four of Australia's five Tests this summer but it remains to be seen whether he can translate that into the 50-over game.
Each of the three matches will also give Pat Cummins an opportunity to serve notice of his mastery, having become the most expensive player in Indian Premier League history during the recent auction for the 2020 competition.
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Can Marnus Labuschagne bring his Test class to the ODI arena?
Conditions in Mumbai for the first ODI are expected to be warm and humid, with temperatures hitting a high of 27 degrees Celsius.
Similar weather is expected for the follow-up game in Rajkot, with sun expected to dominate.
For the final match of the series in Bangalore, we could see the highest temperatures of the week with the mercury hitting 28 degrees.
The Star Sports network will show the entire series in India, as well as subscription outlet Hotstar.
In Australia, Fox Sports and streaming service Kayo Sports will carry all three matches.
For viewers in the UK, Star Gold (Sky 717, Virgin 801) will show each ODI.
Dafabet have India as favourites for the opening ODI at 8/13. Australia are available at 5/4.
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