BGT: According to Ian Chappell, the primary goal for Indian hitters will be to psychologically outperform Nathan Lyon

According to Australian cricketing veteran Ian Chappell, the key goal for Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Chesteshwar Pujara would be to mentally outclass Australia spinner Nathan Lyon. Beginning on February 9, India and Australia will compete for the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

In an article for ESPNcricinfo, Chappell said that one of the primary responsibilities of Indian batsmen would be to deal with Lyon and take the upper hand mentally.

"To establish mental supremacy over Lyon would be one of the primary goals for Indian players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Cheteshwar Pujara. Australia's bowling will be heavily reliant on the "big three" if Lyon is unable to consistently take wickets at a reasonable pace, according to Chappell.

The dangerous and in-form Steve Smith will need to be kept at bay, he said, adding that if India can restrict Smith and Lyon, they can win the series.

The primary challenge for India's bowlers will be to find a method to silence the prolific Smith. India will be on their way to winning games if they can stop Smith and Lyon from winning, Chappell said.

He said that India would suffer a great loss without Rishabh Pant because no one can match his passion to dominate bowlers.

"A great run rate that comes from Pant's aggressive belligerence is the biggest thing India would miss from his absence. Nobody can take the position of Pant's drive to rule bowlers, according to Chappell.

Insisting that a test series between two strong teams has the ability to bring out the best in the most competitive players, Chappell said that India are the favorites to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The most competitive players tend to perform their best in test series involving strong teams. This series has all the makings of being fiercely contested between two top-notch teams. These teams are two of the few really excellent ones still in Test cricket, but it's difficult to choose anybody other than India to win this series, Chappell said.