Sachin Tendulkar does know a thing or two about playing Test cricket in Australia. In his 20 Tests Down Under, the former India captain has a total of 1,809 runs with six centuries at an average of 53.21.

His 241 not out in Sydney during the 2003-04 series remains his best in Australia.
Sachin, 47, spoke to The Telegraph on Wednesday afternoon on the upcoming four-match Test series.

Excerpts:

The Telegraph: How much of an impact will India’s encouraging performance in the ODIs and T20Is have on the Test series?

Sachin Tendulkar: I wouldn’t compare these two formats since playing Test cricket needs different type of mental set-up, skills and execution. In T20s you need a different skill-set and the rules are different. The same applies for ODIs. But Test cricket will pose different challenges. I’m sure the players are ready for that and preparing themselves.

Your predictions on the series

(Laughs) I wouldn’t like to make any predictions... What I can only say is the series is wide open.

The series begins with the Day-Night Test. Do you think the Aussies will enjoy an advantage having played a few Tests with the pink ball in Adelaide?

Don’t forget it would be the first pink ball Test for India in Australia. Here this experience will be in the first Test of the series, but their first overseas Day-Night Test could well have been in the second, third or fourth games of the series as well. I think a better option for India would have been to play the fourth one since India is playing Test cricket after February. That’s a long time. Ideally this transformation from ODIs to T20s and then Test cricket will obviously need adjustment. That adjustment would have been easier had India played a normal Test and then the pink ball could have been their last Test of the series. It would have helped them to get back into the Test match schedule with your regular timings. So you would be familiar with what to expect. Players will prepare, but that transition would have been smoother.

Will the Day-Night first Test have an impact on the remaining three Tests?

Test matches haven’t yet started, so I don’t know. Whichever way it goes it will have an impact. Whichever team does well will enjoy a headstart. Even in a normal day Test, any team which performs well or wins the first Test has that upper-hand going into that series. Day-Night Test or not doesn’t really matter.

How much of an impact will Virat Kohli’s absence have after the first Test?

When a senior player decides to come back because of personal commitments, especially someone who has played some bit of cricket in Australia before, there will be that void without doubt. It is not always that somebody wants to come back, you can also get injured and be out. I remember in 1997 when I was the captain, (Javagal) Srinath injured his shoulder and was out of the series in the West Indies. So these things can happen. That is an opportunity for someone else to come and play. Given the scenario, Indian cricket has a lot of bench strength now, be it bowling or batting. Also, one needs to understand that it is not about individuals, it is about the team. How the team plays is most important. If the team plays well, Virat will also be equally happy.

Virat’s enthusiastic presence will be missed but how good will Ajinkya Rahane be as captain?

Ajinkya is a very balanced and calm guy. He understands the game as I’ve seen him. He’s a sincere and hard working cricketer and has got a good cricketing brain.

The Aussies are expected to be involved in a lot of mind games during the Tests. Can Rahane deal with such pressure situations?

Why does one think he won’t be able to cope with that? I think he’s strong enough to tackle that.

Rohit is expected to be fit for the last two Tests. That should help India...

As I said about Virat, the same thing applies to Rohit as well. Rohit is someone who has played enough cricket in Australia and has been around for a long time. To have someone as senior as Rohit back is always a good thing to happen. I don’t know the status of his injury and what it is... that only BCCI, Rohit and the team management would know, but if he’s fit and meets all the parameters then to have someone like Rohit there would be good.

But Rohit hasn’t played Tests since the pink ball game against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in November last year...

Similarly India haven’t played Tests since February. From February to December is a long time and that applies to everyone, not just Rohit.

How much of a factor will be David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne?

Compared to the last time when India toured Australia, their batting is far more balanced and experienced... Much better and stronger batting line-up. Last time there were a number of areas where they were not so strong.

Remember, they have Warner, Labuschagne and Steve Smith as their leading batsmen this time.

Does that mean a sterner test for the bowlers?

When you are bowling to better batsmen it will be a sterner test without any doubt... but Indian bowlers have bowled against them and have been successful. It’s not that they have dominated all the way and haven’t been dismissed. Our bowling is also strong, a complete bowling attack. It will be a good contest to watch.

Do you think the home attack can rattle India?

Our batters have played against them and have been doing well. You can’t say they will rattle us. Any fast bowler can come and take a wicket. Likewise any batsman can go out and play that important knock. As I said earlier, our batting is very strong... but before the series has started you can’t say much without knowing how the pitches are going to be. Also the nature of pitches have to help the pacers and put the batsmen under pressure. But if pitches are going to be flat with not much of lateral movement, then I don’t see them doing much. But if there’s life in the wicket, then it will be a good contest... Over a period of time the nature of pitches has changed, so if lifeless pitches are provided, I don’t see them rattling our batting line-up.

Can Nathan Lyon achieve success since Indians are known to be good players of spin?

He has been a world-class bowler and has been successful over the years and that too consistently. Without a doubt, he will have a role to play, whichever pitch they play on.