Travis Head needs to prove his fitness for the Boxing Day Test after struggling to overcome a quad strain.
Australia’s star player for the series was noticeably hampered by the problem during his brief second innings knock at the Gabba.
Head did not field when India came out to bat for a few overs before rain brought an early halt to proceedings on day five.
The 30-year-old skipped the optional nets session on Monday to do a light workout in the gym and the Australian camp is hopeful that he will be able to show over the next two days that he is up for the rigours of the crucial fourth Test.
Back-up batter Josh Inglis or all-rounder Beau Webster are in contention to make their Test debut if Head is ruled out.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami will not be considered for India’s fourth and fifth Tests in Australia due to a knee injury.
The 34-year-old has fully recovered from his heel injury after undergoing surgery in February.
He was not, however, picked in the squad but there had been a chance he could have been added to support pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
Shami has not played international cricket since the 50-overs World Cup last year but has returned to domestic cricket to prove his fitness.
“His left knee has exhibited minor swelling due to increased joint loading from his bowling workload. The swelling is on the expected lines, owing to the increased bowling after a prolonged period,” the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said in a statement.
“Based on the current medical assessment, the BCCI medical team has determined that his knee requires more time for controlled exposure to bowling loads. Consequently, he has not been deemed fit for consideration for the remaining two tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.”
India battled hard to earn a draw in the rain-hit third test in Brisbane, leaving the five-match series tied at 1-1 heading into the Boxing Day clash.
with AAP
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