Team India's D/N Test preparations for upcoming Aus series to get underway on Friday

With an eye on the grueling Australia series that follows the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Team India will begin preparations for the pink-ball Test against Australia from Friday evening at the ICC Academy in Dubai.

This will be Team India's first-ever Day-Night Test away from home and second overall. Virat Kohli & Co. had hosted Bangladesh in a Pink-Ball Test match at the iconic Eden Gardens in November last year. They went on to register a comprehensive win in that match. This time, the match will be played under lights between both the top-ranked Test sides at the Adelaide Oval on December 17.

'The team realises the need to prepare for such an intense series': Sources

Speaking to ANI, sources in the know of developments in the Indian team management confirmed that while the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari have already been training at the academy, they will now start training under lights.

"The team realises the need to prepare for such an intense series and we want to use as much of our time judiciously in Dubai. We will have sessions under lights from today and with the pink ball. Today's session will be a three-hour session approximately," the source said.

"Pujara, Vihari, and the rest are currently working with Nuwan in Raghu's absence. It is unfortunate but you cannot do anything about Raghu testing positive for coronavirus. Looking at the brighter side, Nuwan brings in the left-arm angle and that is a plus as (Mitchell) Starc is an integral part of the Australian attack," the source pointed.

India Tour of Australia 2020/21 (Test Series)

The final leg of India vs Australia 2020 series will see the two sides play four Tests in the  Test Series. Adelaide will play host to an iconic day-night Test between the two countries, with the series opener scheduled to begin from December 17.

The Boxing Day Test will take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from December 26, before the players go back to Sydney to play the annual New Year's Test. That match is scheduled for January 7 to give players some additional rest between matches. The final match of the India vs Australia 2020 series will begin on January 15 at the Gabba in Brisbane.

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Can India create history once again?

India had beaten Australia when they had toured Down Under during the 2018-19 season by a  2-1 margin in the four-match series to win their maiden Test series on Australian soil.  It remains to be seen whether the Virat Kohli-led side will succeed in retaining the iconic Border-Gavaskar Trophy by getting the better of a full-strength Australian side that features the likes of Steve Smith, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, etc. 

However, Team India will have to rewrite history as Australia have never lost a pink-ball Test match. In fact, they have won all five of the D/N Tests that they have played so far from November 2015 and all those wins have come in their own backyard. 

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(With ANI inputs)