Australia could climb has high as second in world Twenty20 rankings or fall as low as seventh this week depending on the success of John Inverarity's controversial selection policy for the shortest form of the game.
Another series whitewash, this time in the Twenty20 arena, of the hapless Indians will see Australia climb from their current ranking of fifth to second, behind only reigning world champion England.
A split series will see the side inherited by new captain George Bailey remain in fifth but a pair of losses will see Australia tumble embarrassingly to seventh, ahead of only West Indies, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.
Pat Howard's team performance department was set the goal of winning the 2012 and 2014 world Twenty20 championship by the Argus review and this week's matches will be scrutinised closely in regards to this year's event.
The dearth of international Twenty20 fixtures has left Australia with just three more games after this week, two against West Indies and one against Pakistan, before the world championship in Sri Lanka in September.
Time, however, is even more limited for born-again spinner Brad Hogg, who is unlikely to tour the Caribbean for next month's two Twenty20s.
''I've been told I probably won't be going to the West Indies because it's probably a waste of resources and I'm getting enough cricket around other competitions,'' Hogg said yesterday in Sydney as he joined the national squad for the first time in almost four years.
Hogg will come under presure for a berth in the Australian XI from limited-overs specialist Xavier Doherty.
But given spin's growing importance in the format both spinners may get the nod.
Hogg, who turns 41 next week, will keep match fit this year by playing for Sultans of Sylhet in the Bangladesh Premier League next month and, possibly, in the Indian Premier League, where he has a reserve price of $US100,000 for Saturday's player auction in Bangalore.
''I'm not here for anything other than helping Australia prepare for a T20 World Cup,'' Hogg said before Wednesday's opening T20 international against India in Sydney.
''I've been out of it for three and a half years and to get selected after what's happened with the Perth Scorchers has been fantastic.
''I've got a lot of pride in myself and I want to make sure I do what I did three and a half years ago - and that was work hard and do my best out on the field.
''Hopefully, I can get two or three more years out of it ... life's all about opportunities and this opportunity won't come again.''
Wicketkeeper Matt Wade will get another chance at international level to press his claims for squad selection in all forms for the West Indies tour, while veterans Brett Lee and David Hussey are certainties to play.
WEDNESDAY
First Twenty20 international: Australia v India at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, 7.30pm.
TV time: Live on WIN.
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