India won the toss and opted to bat in the first Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval here on Thursday.

Out of the final 12 picked on the eve of the game, Rohit Sharma made the cut in the Indian playing eleven ahead of Hanuma Vihari.

Opener Marcus Harris is the debutant for Australia.

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Australia vice-captain and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been dropped for the first test against India as selectors backed the team's three specialist seamers to bowl a full workload at Adelaide Oval.

India will pick their playing XI for the first Test against Australia from the 12 players which was announced on Wednesday.

Marsh's place in the side for the series-opener, which starts on Thursday, has been taken by middle order batsman Peter Handscomb, recalled for the first time since the tour of South Africa in March and April.

Skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday played down suggestions Australia are vulnerable after the ball-tampering scandal, as his India side try to win a series Down Under for the first time.

Australia begin the opening Test in a scorching Adelaide on Thursday on a run of poor form and without batting powerhouses Steve Smith and David Warner, who remain banned.

Without them, India could have a golden opportunity to break their series drought.

It is easy to keep staring at the sky over the Adelaide Oval. Planes descend low, the sound booms while pilots eye a smooth landing at the nearby airport.

India and Australia, meanwhile, have preferred to stay glued to terra-firma. In the run-up to the four-match Test series that commences with the first game here on Thursday, the air is devoid of sky-scraping promises but there is revelation of intent and a desire to walk the talk.