Australia vs India 2018-19: 5 interesting storylines that could determine the outcome of the Test series

The T20 series is done and dusted, with the two teams sharing the honors. But now, the main prize or rather the main attraction of the tour is going to take center-stage, with the Indian team taking on the Australian team in a four-Test series.

Although the hosts are still a depleted unit, with David Warner and Steve Smith missing, they are in no way a team that cannot win the series. With players like Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood bowling with the new ball and an Indian batting attack famously susceptible to quality fast bowling, the result could go either way.

The presence of so many quality players in either side has set up a mouth-watering clash, with many underlying storylines which could decide the outcome of the series. When you have the world's best batsman in one side and the most lethal bowler in international cricket in the other, the battles just write themselves.

Here's a look at the five most interesting plotlines to follow in the series:

#1 Prithvi Shaw vs the Australian quicks

No player has gathered as much hype as Shaw has after playing just two Test matches. From being touted as the new Virender Sehwag in Tests to India's next Sachin Tendulkar, the 19-year-old has garnered a lot of praise with the way he has played and conducted himself.

With an injury putting him out of the first Test, the litmus test that he was going to be put under has been delayed. But one of the highlights of this series is going to be how Shaw tackles the speed and accuracy of Starc, Hazelwood, and Cummins.

The youngster has shown the confidence of going for his shots no matter what the conditions. Will he be able to do the same in Australia, when he gets the chance?

#2 Mitchell Starc vs Virat Kohli

The best batsman in the world going against arguably the most lethal bowler of this generation

Mitchell Starc vs Virat Kohli is probably going to be the biggest narrative of this series. The biggest star in the Indian side going against the biggest star in the Australian one - that is one battle that could define the entire tour.

Starc has just recently made his way back into the team from injury, and has been slowly but steadily getting back to his old rhythm. He played in the last T20I against India and even in those four overs, he was able to show that he's back to his old brilliant self; the ball that got Shikhar Dhawan out was by far the ball of the match.

Starc showed good rhythm and bowled close to 150kph at times, which would always make it uncomfortable for batsmen.

On the other hand, you have Kohli who is in the form of his life and leading a side that is expected to win against the Aussies. The way both of them perform in this series is going to have a huge impact on the outcome.

#3 The battle of the leaders

Tim Paine would need to perform at a very high level to keep pace with the all-conquering Kohli

It might be unfair to pit Tim Paine against Virat Kohli, but then cricket can be an unfair game sometimes.

Paine would be leading a beleaguered unit that is sorely missing David Warner and Steve Smith in its lineup. As the captain, he is supposed to be the guy that would get Australia through these turbulent times.

Until now, in the limited opportunities that he has got, Paine has done an admirable job. He was instrumental in Australia scraping through to draw the first Test match against Pakistan. But this is a completely different challenge, and Virat Kohli is not Sarfraz Ahmed.

A lot will depend on how the Australian captain is able to step out of the shadow of the might of Virat Kohli.

#4 Will Usman Khwaja be the Man?

Usman Khwaja will have the spotlight shining brightly on him when he walks out to the middle

He's fitter, more confident and recently (in his stint as a commentator with Fox) he has shown that he's not afraid to speak his mind even in front of the Aussie legends of the past.

Australia have been waiting and waiting for Usman Khwaja to come good, and it's been a long time coming, but in UAE it seemed that something had clicked in Khwaja. He was the de facto leader of the batting unit and played with such poise that the Pakistani bowlers found it really hard to get him out.

Coming into this series almost everyone has billed Khwaja to be the man that carries the Australian ship to safety. But like always, the question remains: will Khwaja finally be the Man?

#5 How will Aaron Finch perform?

The spotlight on Finch couldn't be any brighter than it is right now. After the South Africa series, Finch had come out in a press conference and stated that no single player's position in the team was secure. He said the team worked on a "perform or perish" model and that everyone in the unit had to contribute if they had to stake their claim in the playing XI.

The ironic part has been Finch's own performances. Finch hasn't always performed up to the expectations in recent times, and has often ignited a collapse of the Australian batting by throwing his wicket away.

Finch is going to open the batting for Australia in the Tests, and the beauty as well as the vice of such a long series is that once you strike good form you can really carry that through the whole series, and at the same time if you don't get going at the start then the whole series becomes a struggle.

This could turn into a series where Finch either sinks or swims.