The Melbourne Cricket Ground hosts its 100th Test when India visit for the traditional Boxing Day fixture.
Watch the first Test between Australia and India live on Sky Sports 1 from 11.30pm on Christmas Day
Australia bid to continue their superb recent home record when India visit Melbourne on Boxing Day for the first of four Tests.
Forget the ICC rankings, these are currently the two best Test teams in the world and a real treat should be in store for cricket fans, live on
Sky Sports.
Four years ago, India enjoyed the better of a drawn series Down Under. Australia's batsmen, led by Steve Waugh on his swansong, clung on for a share of the spoils on the final day of the series in Sydney.
India's powerhouse middle-order from that tour remains intact with Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar all still piling up the runs.
The corresponding fixture in Melbourne four years ago was the scene of Virender Sehwag's masterpiece - 195 from just 233 balls on the opening day.
Sehwag's batting has since lost some of its mojo, he was recalled as part of India's 16-man squad for this trip, but appears unlikely to make the starting XI in Melbourne this time.
The tourists, who are led by veteran leg-spinner Anil Kumble, come into the game having played just 48 overs of cricket during their solitary, rain-ruined warm-up match against Victoria.
The only selection issue among the batsmen concerns who will partner Wasim Jaffer at the top of the order.
Dinesh Karthik performed poorly during the recent Tests against Pakistan, and the tempting alternative is to push Dravid up one place in the order.
That is the likely scenario in Melbourne, with Laxman - who averages 59.58 in Australia - coming in at number three and in-form Yuvraj Singh batting below Tendulkar and Ganguly at number six.
Left-armer Zaheer Khan will spearhead the pace bowling alongside two of RP Singh, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma and Pankaj Singh.
There is likely to be no place for off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, although he will almost certainly feature at Adelaide and Sydney later in the series.
Unbeaten record
Australia have not lost a series on home soil for 14 years and India's victory in Adelaide four years ago was their last Test defeat at home.
The main selection quandry for the hosts is who to pick alongside seam bowling duo Stuart Clark and Brett Lee.
Australia's 12-man squad includes left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg, left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson and tearaway paceman Shaun Tait.
At 36, Hogg is not one for the future, he made the last of four previous Test appearances in October 2003, but should get the nod as Australia will be loath to go in without a specialist spinner on a Melbourne pitch that is not as quick as it once was, leaving the final spot between Johnson and Tait.
Australia (from): S Clark, M Clarke, A Gilchrist (wkt), M Hayden, B Hogg, M Hussey, P Jaques, M Johnson, B Lee, R Ponting (capt), A Symonds, S Tait
India (from): M Dhoni (wkt), R Dravid, S Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh, A Kumble (capt), W Jaffer, D Karthik, Z Khan, VVS Laxman, Pankaj Singh, I Pathan, V Sehwag, I Sharma, RP Singh, S Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh
