And the veteran of 46 Tests in the baggy green believes selectors should have opted for one-day star Adam Zampa as the wrist-spinning option in favour of tour rookie Mitchell Swepson.

Selectors named a four-pronged spin bowling attack in their 16-man squad for the tour, including Test incumbent Nathan Lyon, NSW left-armer Steve O'Keefe, fellow orthodox bowler Ashton Agar and Swepson. The slow bowlers outnumber the pace battery made up of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Jackson Bird.

Lawson was "fascinated" by the selectors' bowling choices and fears trying to beat India at their own game on the subcontinent is not the recipe required for success.

"The selectors have really missed the point about what it takes for Australia to win in India as opposed to what it takes for India to win in India," Lawson said.

"Australia should be concentrating on its fast bowlers. We've got some world-class guys; we've got Hazlewood and Starc who are as good as anybody and they'll bowl well in those conditions and they'll bowl reverse swing and they will challenge the Indian batsmen.

"India have produced a lot of big-spinning pitches, which they're entitled to, and they can play on it. They know how to bat on them they know how to bowl on them.

"That's their big advantage. Their guys in [Ravichandran] Ashwin and [Ravindra] Jadeja have been almost unplayable and they've got some terrific batsmen.

"You've got to figure a way how you're going to beat them in their conditions, not necessarily playing how they play. You've got to play how you play.

"You don't just pick spinners for the sake of going to India and bowling spinners, so why there is another left-arm orthodox [Agar] in the squad is beyond me, unless they want him to bat at the top of the order.

"You've got Lyon and O'Keefe, who I think will do very well, particularly Steve O'Keefe, but Australia should be concentrating on its fast bowlers.

"It was Australia's fast bowlers that won that series in 2004, it wasn't really the spinners."

That 2004 tour was the only time since 1970 an Australian touring team has won a Test series on Indian soil – they prevailed 2-1 on that occasion with Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and Shane Warne leading the charge.

Warne played in three of those Tests and secured 14 wickets, but Gillespie was the star with the ball for Australia snaring 20 scalps. Indian leg spinner Anil Kumble was the most successful of anyone in that series, landing 27 victims.

In nine Tests on Indian soil Warne managed 34 wickets at an average of 43.11, as opposed to his career record of 25.41 runs per each of the 708 scalps he took.

Keen on taking a wrist spinner to India, selectors opted for Swepson who has enjoyed a productive Big Bash season with the Brisbane Heat, and who has claimed 41 wickets in 14 first-class games.

But Lawson said Zampa would have been a far better option.

"I would've gone for someone like Adam Zampa instead of Swepson just because Zampa's got more experience and he's a certain style of bowler, he bowls it quicker and flatter and I just think he would've handled the pressure a bit more," Lawson said.

"I like the way he goes about his job, and he can bat a bit and he's a tough competitor and you need to be tough in India.

"Swepson hasn't played Test cricket. He's a very promising player, don't get me wrong, but even Shane Warne wasn't all that successful in India.

"To throw Swepson in against [Virat] Kohli etc, I mean Kohli's making runs for fun at the moment and he's not disturbed by the opposition spinners as the last couple of touring sides over there have shown."

Lawson was called into the Australian team touring India in 1979 after Alan Hurst suffered a back injury and needed replacing.

India won twice and there were four draws in the six-match series.

"I can assure you it was pretty tough then," Lawson said.

"That had to do with the environment, food, water etc. Now you stay in five-star hotels, that's not an issue. It's how you play cricket."