Calcutta: For Australia to do well against India in the forthcoming series, Mitchell Starc must perform. That's fundamental. If the left-arm pacer gets the ball to swing just the way he wants it to, coupled with his pace, he can certainly put the pressure right back on the Indians.

Now whether he can extract a similar amount of swing with the SG balls in India remains to be seen. But Starc is certainly ready for the challenge. "It's been a while since I have been over there (in India) to play red-ball cricket. It's been four years.

"It's a different ball there, so there are different challenges to try and get it to reverse and see if it swings when it's brand new. Focus, though, will definitely be on swing," said the left-arm pacer at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Sunday.

A lot could depend on how Steve Smith goes about with Starc and Josh Hazlewood in the series. Starc, however, expects the skipper to use him in short, sharp spells in a bid to maximise his potency against India's batsmen, although the effectiveness of Australia's slow bowlers could determine his bowling spells.

"I guess it depends on the spinners, if they're taking wickets or not. It's obviously up to Smithy. It's probably a bit different to how we operate back home.

"It will depend on how the ball is reacting, whether it's swinging conventionally or reversing. I'm sure there'll be times when we will be called upon to bowl a few extra overs in a spell, but probably a lot of short spells as well," said Starc.

The 27-year-old's first experience of Test cricket in India in 2013 wasn't very impressive as after going wicketless in first Test in Chennai, he was dropped for the second match. Starc though earned a recall for the third Test in Mohali in which he took two wickets.