All-rounder Andrew Symonds on Saturday said Australia will not hesitate in giving it back to the Indians if they continue to show their new-found aggression in the upcoming Test series but assured that the hosts would guard against being "silly and arrogant".
"We want to turn up and respond to the challenge, puff out chess and get gung-ho about the entire thing but you need to be careful as well," Symonds told reporters in Melbourne ahead of the four-Test series starting next week.
"We want to be aggressive and competitive but at the same time don't want to cross the line and be perceived as silly and arrogant," he said.
Symonds was the marked man when Australia toured India a couple of months ago, having a series of altercations against different Indian players, none more than against pacer S Sreesanth who is missing out on the present tour because of a shoulder injury.
The hard-hitting right hander quipped that Sreesanth would be missing the opportunity of having a go at the Aussies in their own backyard.
"He is more likely to miss it (than me). I have no problem in playing against him, it's not some sort of gladiatorial contest. He chose a very aggressive line, a vocal line but that's fine," said Symonds.
Australia's coach Tim Nielsen, meanwhile, felt the new-found aggression reflected the growing confidence among the Indians.
"They were more aggressive and positive when they toured Australia four years ago. I guess the presence of younger players has assisted the process like the way Sreesanth stood up. They are developing a culture of confidence with which comes aggression," Nielson said.
Nielson expects India to field both their spinners in the first Test starting December 26 here and revealed that his own side could go with three medium-pacers and a spinner for the game.
"I have a feeling it could be three and one. This wicket could go on to be a bit slow and favouring spin in the latter part of the match. India could also be two and two (two medium-pacers and two spinners)," he said.
The Aussie coach rubbished suggestions that ageing stars in the Indian ranks would affect the visiting side's performance.
"It's a perception thing. Sometimes when you are ageing you are perhaps more aware of what it needs to take to survive such a long tour. At other times, you could feel the strain. So it could work either way," he said.
Nielson felt the Indians would need the experienced batsmen to tackle the bouncy tracks here as youngsters may take time to adjust.
"They need good foundation for strokeplayers in the side to come on to their own. They would be under pressure if the wicket is bouncing and there are a few early wickets."
"Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik were able to give them a good start when they toured England this summer," he said.
Nielsen, however, was not very sure if the wicket at the MCG would provide the necessary bounce which his bowlers are looking for against the Indians.
"Lot of time when the bounce is nice and hard it is because of the sun. Now it could be moist, could favour quick bowlers first morning and then becomes slow for the rest of the week," he explained.
