After his best year in Test cricket Usman Khawaja is primed to take on his final subcontinental frontier of India and win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with Australia.
Australia will next month play the first of four Tests in India, where the 36-year-old opener toured in 2013 and 2017 without playing any Tests.
Australia have not won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India since 2004.
"For a lot of boys this will be our last Indian tour so we'd love to win it," Khawaja said.
"I have been on the other tours. I haven't played, but I look at this team and I think it is probably the best team I have been a part of to go over and achieve this goal.
"As a team we haven't won there since the early 2000s. We got really close last time and had a lot of opportunities to win but just couldn't get over the line."
Khawaja scored 1080 runs in the 2022 calendar year and started 2023 with an unbeaten 195 against South Africa at the SCG.
Last year he toured his homeland of Pakistan with great success, making 496 runs at an average of 165.33 in a 1-0 series win and handling the spinners with aplomb.
"I really like playing against spin. I didn't when I was younger. I do now," Khawaja said.
"Spinning conditions throw a lot of cool stuff at you.
"I have been quite successful in the sub-continent the last few years in white-ball and red-ball cricket so things for me won't really change.
"I know if I stick to my processes I give myself the best chance to score."
Indian spinners on their home tracks are a tough proposition but Khawaja can't wait to match wits with them.
"Taking them on in their conditions I think everybody is excited because you are playing against one of the toughest teams in the world in their backyard," he said.
The Australians won't play a practice match in India, a move that has Khawaja's full approval. Rather they appear set to dust up some wickets at home and prepare as they did ahead of the Pakistan tour last year.
"Have you ever been pre-tour with us? They can be spinning wickets when we play (Tests) but we go to the practice matches and they are green Gabba-like wickets out there so what's the point," Khawaja grinned.
"I think we have finally learned. When I heard we weren't going to have a practice game I went up to (coach) Andrew McDonald and said 'Good on 'ya'."
The first item on Khawaja's agenda though is leading the Brisbane Heat side he captains to the BBL finals, starting with the Hobart Hurricanes on Friday at the Gabba as the hosts seek a third consecutive win.
