Kedar Jadhav and Mahendra Singh Dhoni struck unbeaten fifties to help India pull off a tricky chase and beat Australia by six wickets in the first One-day international on Saturday.
For Kohli, who led India to their first Test series victory in Australia but skipped the second half of the New Zealand tour, the series will be the last chance to identify the batsman to fill a middle order spot in an otherwise settled side.
Penpix of players in Australia's Ashes squad.
'(Jasprit) Bumrah we know is a very good new ball bowler and I'm sure he'll mix it up and bowl some short stuff and some full stuff'
Australia concluded their World Cup preparation on an emphatic note
'If he's looking to hit the ball and not leave the ball like he is I think he'd be fine'
Smith was ruled out of the third Test due to concussion and Hohns said the form of his replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, would be a factor in finalising the batting order.
Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne missed individual centuries but forged Australia's highest partnership of the summer to earn the hosts a handy first innings lead against Sri Lanka on day two of the series opening day-night Test on Friday.
Australia captain Aaron Finch will miss the third and final T20 International against India in Sydney on Sunday because of a left hamstring injury he suffered, on Friday, and he will be replaced in the squad by Usman Khawaja.
A scrappy India will have to lift their game by several notches against an improving Australia when the two fierce rivals clash in a virtual quarter-final cricket match of the ICC World Twenty20, in Mohali, on Sunday.
Kevin Pietersen could not deny Sydney Thunders a Big Bash League triumph but his blistering 74 for Melbourne Stars in Sunday's tense final reminded England what they will be missing at this year's Twenty20 World Cup in India.
CCTV footage from the players' tunnel at Kingsmead showed Australia vice-captain David Warner and South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock involved in a fiery exchange as players climbed the stairwell to their dressing rooms during the tea break.
Pandya's absence means that India will have to rejig their bowling attack. Jasprit Bumrah has already been rested for this series, as well as the tour of New Zealand, and this allows the think-tank to conduct one final experimentation with their bowling attack.
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who took three wickets to take apart the Australian top order, has put South Africa in the driver's seat at the end of Day Four of the first Test here at the WACA on Sunday. - Scrorecard: The Proteas closed in on a first Test victory by reducing Australia to 169 for four, still 369 runs behind, at the end of the fourth day. Rabada, who took the price scalps of Shaun Marsh (15), Steven Smith (34) and Adam Voges (1), ensured that his side did not take their foot off the Aussie throats.
India put together their second highest team total on Australian soil, piling up 622/7 declared on the second day of the match. Their highest team total, 705/7 declared, was also incidentally scored at this venue, in 2004.
England, says former Australia captain, were outstanding against Australia and deserve their place in the final.
Aaron Finch's team and its entourage of support staff sat down in a circle on the field, with each member taking turns to talk about the side's run in the tournament
The mood in the Indian camp was summed up best by the skipper after a green pitch was unveiled on eve of the maiden Test at the new facility.
Travis Head (61 batting) and Pat Cummins (10) kept Australia in the game with a 50-run partnership in the last session but India walked away with the advantage after the latter fell towards the end of day's play.
The right-hander currently has 873 points in the list of Test batsmen, headed by Australia captain Steve Smith.
Chasing India's 251 to level the five-match series, Australia got off to a strong start before the hosts roared back into the contest with some disciplined bowling.
Sri Lanka have not played a match at the World Cup since June 4, forced to split points with Bangladesh and Pakistan following two washed out games.
Having dismissed Australia for a paltry 145 in their first innings, Pakistan stretched their lead to a daunting 281 by stumps on day two with Zaman's 66 and an unbeaten 54 by Ali taking them to 144-2.
Australia have dropped out-of-form limited overs specialist Glenn Maxwell from the squad for the one-day international series in Sri Lanka next month, the country's cricket board announced on Sunday.
Vice-captain Warner remains a doubt after hurting his neck when going for a high catch during training at the Gabba on Tuesday, although Australia skipper Steve Smith backed him to be fit and ready for the start of the five-match series.
Kohli had achieved his highest rating after the Southampton Test against England earlier this year.
India A pacer Dhawal Kulkarni was involved in a verbal altercation with Australia A leg-spinner Adam Zampa at the fag end of the home team's mammoth chase of 335 runs during the second match of the cricket tri-series in Chennai.
Kane Richardson will take his place in the 15-man squad for the tour, which starts with two Twenty20 matches later this month and is being used a warm-up for their World Cup title defence in England.
In the cold light of defeat and without Smith's large shadow, Australia's batsmen have nowhere to hide and most head to Old Trafford in dire form.
"Out on the field Jofra has clearly made a big impact," England captain Joe Root said.
Batsmen Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh were all dropped from the squad that lost a home Test series against India for the first time.
Factbox on the four-Test series between India and Australia, which starts at Pune on Thursday:
With their backs to the wall after conceding a big first innings lead, the top-order faltered again as India 'A' scored 265 for 6 against Australia 'A' by the end of third day's play in the second unofficial 'Test', in Chennai, on Friday.
Bracing for a challenging Test series against India who are having a dream run in the last 18 months, Australian players slogged it out in nets in Wednesday, two days after landing in Mumbai for the four-match rubber starting on February 23 at Pune.
Back in the mix after one and half years, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha justified the selector's faith by rocking Australia A top-order with three quick wickets as the visitors reached 185 for four against India A at stumps on the second day of the first unofficial cricket Test in Chennai.
Rising Pune Supergiants all-rounder Rajat Bhatia has said no side can do much if the players get injured but it gives chance to other players to showcase their talent.
Steve Smith is back in the Test squad along with David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, the other two players hit with long bans for their involvement in the Cape Town scandal in March, 2018.
'The pitch should have enough for the bowlers to be interested on all days of the Test.'
IMAGES from the 1st ODI played in Sydney on Saturday
In the bowlers list, Bumrah achieved a career-high ranking of 28 while fellow teammate Mohammad Shami moved two places to 24th.
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