The upcoming 4-match Test series between India and Australia is going to commence in a matter of a week in the Adelaide Oval playing host to the first match starting December 6 (Thursday). Team India will go into the series with the feeling that this is their best opportunity to beat the Aussies in their own backyard.

The Indian skipper, Virat Kohli’s superlative form is one of the reasons behind India’s confidence ahead of the first game. But current South African skipper Faf du Plessis reckons that “for the first time, India has a pace attack to challenge teams around the world”.

As per the quotes in cricket.com.au., Du Plessis said, “I think India would perhaps be the most confident they’ve been coming here because they would see there’s an opportunity – (firstly) with the two main batters being out of the (Australia) side. But also for the first time, I think India has a pace attack to challenge teams around the world, or away from their own conditions.”

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The South African captain said that despite the fact that Indian spinners were one of the crucial reasons for rolling teams over at home, they now had the firepower in the fast bowling department to challenge teams like South Africa, Australia and England in their conditions.

Describing his point further, Faf said, “They are extremely tough to beat at home because their pitches spin square and they’ve got unbelievable spinners. But what I find with them now is, for the first time, they’ve got three or four seamers in their squad that can bowl 140(kph)-plus and are very good bowlers. Obviously, when you come to conditions like South Africa, Australia, England, you need pace bowlers and in the past they might have had one or two, but now they’ve got three or four. In England, they had two of those seam bowlers who were injured so I think if that happened, then Australia would be massive favourites. But if they come with a fully fit pace attack, I think it will be a fifty-fifty split.”

Despite believing that India will give Australia a run for their money, Du Plessis reckons that the hosts are still the favorites to win the series. He said that the series will only become interesting of Virat scores runs, but the series probably go with Australia, just in terms of history against India.