Australia coach Andrew McDonald thinks the highest six batsmen who completed the final take a look at season are prone to begin the much-anticipated five-match sequence in opposition to India later this yr, however not essentially in the identical order.
Steve Smith moved up from quantity 4 to open the batting after the take a look at retirement of David Warner halfway via final season and McDonald mentioned it was under no circumstances sure he would keep there.
“Whereas we’ve received an eye fixed to it, we haven’t made any agency choices round that one,” McDonald informed SEN radio from England on Wednesday.
“We’ve already had some chats in Sydney initially round what we’re considering for the summer season, and that goes proper right down to depth bowling and all these hypotheticals and ‘what-ifs’ that we all the time undergo.
“Clearly, if we make a shift with Steve Smith, then another person must go to the highest. We’ve seen Cameron Inexperienced be actually profitable at quantity 4 as effectively. In order that provides layers to the decision-making.
“However nothing is agency and glued in the intervening time.”
Whereas Smith hardly set the world on hearth in his outings as an opener, Inexperienced scored 174 not out in opposition to New Zealand at quantity 4 within the final sequence of final season.
No matter what the selectors resolve about whether or not Smith opens, his place within the aspect alongside Inexperienced, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh seems assured.
“We’ve spoken about that, and we’re nonetheless a giant believer in the most effective six batters,” he added.
“We really feel as if that the group that completed in New Zealand, ought to they get a clear run at it and be effectively ready, then they might be the best-placed gamers to fill that, there’s little doubt about that.”
McDonald mentioned Australia would prioritise the sequence in opposition to India within the house summer season and may relaxation take a look at gamers from the white-ball sequence in opposition to Pakistan that precedes it to permit them to play red-ball cricket within the Sheffield Defend.
The India sequence opens in Perth on Nov. 22 with exams following in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.