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India vs Australia 2017: 5 player encounters to look out for

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The Australian team have signaled their intent very early in the series and if the match against the Board President's XI is anything to go by, the Indian team can expect a tough fight over the next two weeks.

The visitors look driven after their Test win in Bangladesh and this reflected in the way they batted and bowled in the warm-up match. The performance of the unheralded players in the Australian line-up will give them a lot of hope.

Here in this article, we take a look at five player encounters which could define the course of the series.

#5 MS Dhoni vs Nathan Coulter-Nile

India v West Indies - 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup
Up against a far better bowling attack

When MSK Prasad posed questions regarding the abilities of MS Dhoni before the Sri Lanka series, few eyebrows were furrowed, but then Dhoni decided to stand up. He scored runs for fun against Sri Lanka and saw chases through when the going could have become tricky for the Indian side.

However, Dhoni will now face much quicker bowlers and of late his problem has been against pace when the ball has been banged in short of a good length. This is where his battle with Nathan Coulter-Nile would be keenly observed. Coulter-Nile is a genuine pace prospect and on his day can rattle any opposition.

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