India pacer Jasprit Bumrah

"Now with the return of Steve Smith and David Warner to the Australian side, the Indian team is definitely going to face a stiffer competition than their previous tour Down Under," the former India fast bowler said in a release issued by official broadcasters of the series, Sony Pictures Sports Network. "There are no favourites going into the series as both the sides have quality batting and bowling line-up in their squad and that is what will make the upcoming tour interesting and exciting to watch." Zaheer's thoughts were echoed by Australian pace legend Glenn McGrath, who also feels that the Virat Kohli-led side will face a tough competition this time around.

Poll

Who will win the Punjab Elections?

BJP 32.86%

AAP 41.43%

INC 25.71%

Submit

View All In Poll

"The Indian cricket team will face a much tougher Australian team now that Smith and Warner are back but the Indian team is equally strong and have an aggressive mentality and determination to win the series," said McGrath, who has staggering 563 Test wickets. "The current Indian team has got the confidence of playing in Australian conditions now and they know how to do it as they've been successful here in the last tour." Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar too feels the same.

Australian speedster Mitchell Starc. Pics/AFP, Getty Images

"Australia's Test team will be stronger than it was on India's previous tour. The experience of Smith and Warner will add muscle to the Aussie side but I believe India's bowling attack is ready to have their names carved in the history of Indian cricket by winning a consecutive series Down Under," he said. Sony on Friday also announced the return of its show 'Extraaa Innings', which will feature former players like McGrath, Manjrekar, Ajay Jadeja, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer, Nick Knight, Mohammad Kaif, Murali Karthik, Vivek Razdan, Ajit Agarkar and Vijay Dahiya apart from Harsha Bhogle, Arjun Pandit and Erin Holland.

Keep scrolling to read more news

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever