We are about to find out how good the newcomers to the Australian team are, facing arguably the best New Zealand side to tour Australia.
The Australian cricket team avoided embarrassment when their tour to Bangladesh was postponed due to terrorist threats. The Bangladeshis are in rich form of late and I believe would have beaten the Australians had the tour gone ahead. The Australian record in the sub-continent is poor and, with an inexperienced team, it was ripe to being beaten.
Australia would have no David Warner and Chris Rogers at the top and, apart from Steve Smith, their middle order is vulnerable to the dry, turning pitches that Bangladesh would have produced. The only batsman in the squad to score a Test hundred on the sub-continent was the inconsistent Shaun Marsh. 
The bowlers selected were also cause for concern. Mitch Starc needs surgery on his ankle, Nathan Lyon averages nearly 50 a wicket in the sub-continent, Andrew Fekete was an unknown package, while Stephen O'Keefe and Ashton Agar are still finding their way.
I still don't understand the mindset of the Australian selectors when it comes to the sub-continent. We haven't found the way to beat the locals on their own soil, similar to how teams struggle to find a way to beat Hawthorn at the MCG.
Australia always go for the old template of two quicks, one all-rounder and two spinners to win Tests in the sub-continent. That hasn't worked for quite a while and it is time to have a major rethink on their strategies. My thinking would be to play cricket the way the locals play it. Just have two opening bowlers who can reverse-swing it, such as Starc and Mitchell Marsh. Then look for a more balanced spin line-up such as Lyon, O'Keefe and leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed.
Why Fawad was not chosen for this tour blows me away, as he is tailor-made for these type of pitches. And why did the selectors chose two left-arm orthodox bowlers? It looked to me that they didn't know who was the best and left it to Darren Lehmann and Steve Smith to pick the right one.
After the big retirements of Michael Clarke, Ryan Harris, Brad Haddin, Shane Watson and Rogers, Australia obviously are in a rebuilding phase. Now we are about to find out how good the newcomers are, facing arguably the best New Zealand side to tour Australia.
If you think the Aussies will smash the Kiwis, think again. Kiwi bowlers Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Doug Bracewell, Corey Anderson and Matt Henry all swing the ball. If these Kiwi bowlers get swinging conditions and keep Smith and Warner quiet in the first innings of each Test, then they have a huge chance winning this series. If conditions are hot and dry, the Australians will become favourites.
The major grounds in Australia where the ball does swing are the Gabba and the WACA. Then throw in a night match at Adelaide with "pink balls" for good measure and who knows what could happen? Why they don't use two white balls (35 overs each end with a compulsory change) as they did in the Super Tests in World Series Cricket bewilders me. I can hear complaints now from the fans and TV cameramen that they will struggle to see the pink ball.
This Chappell-Hadlee series will be the highlight of our cricketing summer, with the tourists slight favourites. I am very worried about this Australian side on many fronts. Warner has only made one Test hundred this year from 15 innings. With Rogers gone, Warner's possible partners - Shaun Marsh (averages 38 in first-class cricket) or Cameron Bancroft (averages 37) - are a concern.
There are rumours that Smith wants to slide down the order to bat at four or five. I would advise our captain to stay at No.3 and lead from the front. I feel it is always better to fix the problem at 1-0 than fix the problem when the score might be 3-15.
Then there is Adam Voges, who is 36 and struggled against the swinging ball in the UK. Usman Khawaja deserves another go but I wonder if his defence is good enough for the swinging ball. Mitchell Marsh has not scored a Test hundred and Peter Neville is finding his feet.
While I do not question our bowling at home, Mitchell Johnson's form worries me as the champ has only taken 42 wickets since   October 2014 at an expensive 32 runs apiece. Lyon has taken 50 wickets at 37 each while Starc has 37 wickets at 30.
What a great time it is for a young cricketer to make a name for himself. The Test team has question marks all over it, while spots in the Twenty20 World Cup in   March are up for grabs.
Australian fans just love to support a youngster coming through. I loved the way the whole MCG crowd appreciated Ryan Schoenmakers' efforts in the AFL grand final and his ability to make the most of his opportunity. And that is what sport is about: an opportunity and what you do with it.