Coach Ravi Shastri vowed Sunday India will "take no prisoners" in their quest to win a Test series in Australia for the first time, but cautioned against underestimating the struggling home team.

India arrived in Brisbane on Saturday for an extended that starts at the Gabba on Wednesday with the first of three matches in a Gillette T20I Series. They play four Domain Tests, starting at the

Adelaide Oval from December 6, before a three-match Gillette ODI Series in January.

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Despite Australia's form nosediving since the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March resulted in bans for Steve Smith and David Warner, the former spin great doesn't believe they have lost their aura.

"I don't think so," he said. "I always believe no team is weak at home.

"We might have three or four players not playing when a team comes to India but God forbid if anyone says it is a weak Indian team because you will be surprised."

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Shastri didn't want to be drawn on Australia's new "friendlier" approach to playing cricket under Justin Langer, which has seen them tone down the confrontational style that brought them success and a reputation for hard-nosed cricket.

But he has instructed his team to play hard but fair.

"We will be taking no prisoners, but are focusing on our game rather than what is happening outside," he said.

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, who has fed off the Australian "in-your-face" attitude in recent years, urged them last week not to totally abandon this aspect of their game.

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His Indian counterpart Virat Kohli is another who has thrived previously on the combative rivalry.

Shastri did not believe the hosts' new, polite approach would affect his skipper.

"He won't take his foot off the gas that is for sure," he warned.

"He loves coming to Australia, he's passionate about his game and the pitches here suit his style of play."

Kohli last week said he had matured and didn't need to get fired up on the field to be successful.

"When it comes to getting engaged in an argument on the field, or in a 'fight' as people want to call it excitedly, I have been completely okay playing without an altercation," Kohli said before flying out to Australia.

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"I have enough belief in my ability to play without a reason to pump myself up. Those were very immature things that I needed to feed on in early days of my career."

While India have maintained home supremacy in recent times with a thrashing of the West Indies in Tests (2-0), ODIs (3-1) and T20s (3-0), they have not been as dominant away.

They lost 2-1 in Tests to South Africa and were then outplayed in England 4-1.

"It's about seizing the moment. If you look at those Test matches (overseas), the scoreline doesn't really tell you the whole story," said Shastri.

"There were some very tight Test matches and we lost some big moments badly which cost us the series.

"It could have been just an hour in a session over four days which made all the difference – you have to learn from that."

India Tour of Australia 2018-19

Gillette T20s v India

First T20: November 21, the Gabba

Second T20: November 23, MCG

Third T20: November 25, SCG

Domain Tests v India

First Test: December 6-10, Adelaide Oval

Second Test: December 14-18, Perth Stadium

Third Test: December 26-30, MCG

Fourth Test: January 3-7, SCG

Gillette ODI Series v India

First ODI: January 12, SCG (D/N)

Second ODI: January 15, Adelaide Oval (D/N)

Third ODI: January 18, MCG (D/N)