Key trio cleared of injury for Aussies as both teams make changes for third Test in Indore

Todd Murphy has been declared fit to play in the third Test with Australia fielding a new-look side for the third straight match on tour.

The young Victorian off-spinner suffered a slight side injury during the second Test in Delhi but will take his spot in the line-up at Indore as the tourists try to salvage a draw from the four-match series following back-to-back defeats inside three days.

They will bank on the pace of Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green to lead the attack with spin from Murphy, Nathan Lyon and Matt Kuhnemann, who has been retained after making his debut in Delhi ahead of pace options Scott Boland and Lance Morris. Starc and Green are making their first appearances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series after two months out with finger injuries.

Travis Head will open the batting following David Warner’s mid-tour departure with a fractured elbow with Green replacing Matt Renshaw in the middle order.

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Steve Smith, who will fill in for the third time in a Test for Pat Cummins after the pace bowler returned to Sydney after his mother was placed in palliative care, lost the toss with India skipper Rohit Sharma jumping at the chance to bat first.

Todd Murphy celebrates taking the wicket of Virat Kohli. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Smith said he was relishing the chance to lead the side. “It normally brings the best out of me,” Smith said of the captaincy. “I’m excited about leading this week in Pat’s absence.”

Smith opted not to train the day before both the first and second Tests in India, preferring to do a long session two days out from those matches instead. Focus has also turned to Smith’s degenerative back issue after he dropped a number of catches in the slips during the first two Tests.

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“Every now and again I get (back) flare-ups, this one has just landed a little longer than I would have liked,” Smith said 

“It’s not really too bad, to be honest, I just probably won’t bowl. Still working hard on my fielding, catching a lot of balls, and catching well at training. Sometimes that just happens in a game.”

India have brought in Shubman Gill to replace struggling opener KL Rahul after he lost the vice-captaincy following the Delhi Test. They have also rested Mohammed Shami with fellow quick Umesh Yadav coming into the bowling line-up.

Day one gets under way at 3pm AEDT.

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