If Smith is ruled out, then the left-hand batter Travis Head will lead the squad as he is the vice-captain of the side.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 3rd Test played at The Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Glenn Maxwell's hopes of reviving his Test career may be over after the all-rounder missed out on selection in Australia's much-changed squad for the Sri Lanka tour.
India fight back against Australia as 17 wickets tumble on opening day
India were dealt a solid blow on Saturday, Day 2 of the fifth Test against Australia, as skipper and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah left the Sydney Cricket Ground for precautionary scans after feeling some discomfort in the post-lunch session.
Former Australia opener David Warner on Tuesday said he is willing to come out of retirement and play against India in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, if the home team needs him in the opening slot.
The Australian media summed up their team's 295-run hammering by India in the opening Test with strong headlines such as 'Perth-etic Humiliation' and 'Monster Loss', former players called for some tough decisions, including sacking Marnus Labuschagne.
Usman Khawaja struck his second century in three matches as Australia thumped India by 35 runs in their final one-dayer to seal a come-from-behind 3-2 series victory at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, on Wednesday.
The opening day drew more than 50,000 fans making it the fourth highest attendance ever for a day of Test cricket at the Adelaide Oval.
Smith has rarely, if ever, doubted his own talent but even he was aware that his spell at the top of the order was proving unpopular.
Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the US has called on both countries "not to escalate" the conflict. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to speak with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India as early as today or tomorrow. The US State Department said Washington is reaching out to both India and Pakistan "regarding the Kashmir situation" and telling them "not to escalate the situation."
Virat Kohli booed by home fans after bumping shoulders with Konstas on the pitch after the 19-year-old smashed India's bowlers around the park early on.
Travis Head scored his second successive hundred while veteran Steve Smith wore the opposition down with a statement century to put Australia in control
Australian middle-order batsman, Usman Khawaja received an Ashes berth, and, opener Phillip Hughes was also lucky to retain his spot in the squad, after a poor performance in India.
Spin twins Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon combined to dismantle Sri Lanka and bowl Australia to a crushing victory by an innings and 242 runs in the opening Test in Galle on Saturday.
India's Abhishek Sharma has surged to the second spot in the ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings for batters after a stunning 135-run innings in the fifth and final T20I against England.
Jasprit Bumrah continued his domination of Australian cricket, reaching a significant milestone of 50 Test wickets Down Under.
'I was just doing my gloves when I got the little shoulder charge, but it happens in cricket.'
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is on the cusp of making history after he went level with former spinner Bishan Singh Bedi for most wickets in an overseas Test series for India.
The four wickets that India prised out in the third session, on balance, swung the game back in their favour, says Prem Panicker .
Top order batsman Usman Khawaja has suffered a setback in his bid to return to the Australia team for the second Test against West Indies after being ruled out of a domestic Twenty20 match by his Sydney Thunder side on Monday.
Konstas heads home but not out of Test team's plans
Usman Khawaja batted bravely for nearly nine hours to make 141 and help Australia salvage a draw in the first Test against Pakistan, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Australia batsman Usman Khawaja is likely to replace injured Kevin Pietersen in the squad of Rising Pune Supergiants in season 9 of Indian Premier League. Pietersen was ruled out of the IPL on Sunday, leaving the subcontinent with a hole in his calf muscle and in Pune's batting order. If picked, this will be Khawaja's maiden IPL stint. The left-handed top-order batsman had gone unsold at IPL auctions in February despite scoring heavily in Australia's domestic circuit. Pune have not named a replacement for KP, but Khawaja is the one of the frontrunners, according to Supergiants coach Stephen Fleming. "He (Khawaja) is a guy we are surely looking at," Fleming said after the two-wicket loss to Kolkata on Sunday.
A body representing the 'Khadims' of the Ajmer dargah has condemned a plea in a local court that seeks to declare the shrine of Khawaja Gharib Nawaz as a temple, saying right-wing forces were trying to "isolate" Muslims and "disrupt" communal harmony in the country.
Usman Khawaja hit Australia's first century of the series and Peter Handscomb scored a half-century on debut as the hosts reached 307 for six with a lead of 48 at end of the second day of the day-night third Test against South Africa in Adelaide.
Usman Khawaja proved his fitness with an unbeaten century in the domestic Twenty20 Big Bash League at the weekend to secure his place in the Australia team for the second Test against West Indies.
Elected unopposed in August, Jay Shah became the youngest and fifth Indian to take over as the ICC chair. His term began on December 1.
At the end of the first day of play, it is the home side that is firmly in control, and India that is now reduced to chasing the game.
Nathan McSweeney is on the brink of a major debut, set to partner Usman Khawaja as Australia's opening batters in the series against India.
At this point it is still anyone's game, with a draw also an option, says Prem Panicker in his analysis of Day 4.
Australia's bowling was of the highest quality on the final day and there were positives in the batting, too, throughout the third Test in Melbourne.
A century stand from Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja propelled Australia to a nine-wicket victory over Ireland in their one-off One-Day International played at Willowmoore Park on Tuesday. Ireland won the toss and elected to bat but were bowled out for 198, a target that never looked enough against the Australians, who posted 199 for one for the loss of opener David Warner (48), with almost 20 overs to spare.
Usman Khawaja hit an impressive century ahead of the three-Test series against Sri Lanka, as Australia took the upper hand in their warm-up match against Sri Lanka Board XI's in Colombo on Friday. The Pakistan-born batsman scored 101 before retiring, as the tourists amassed 311-5 in their first innings in reply to a the Sri Lanka Board XI's 258 at stumps on the penultimate day of the three-day game.
Sunil Gavaskar believes India will struggle to defend even 200 if Jasprit Bumrah is unable to bowl at full throttle on Day 3 of the fifth and final Test against Australia
The seeds of India's defeat were sown in Melbourne, where Bumrah had to bowl 53.2 overs -- 24.4 in the second innings on the back of 28.4 in the first innings. With just three days to recover, that was an inhuman burden on a bowler who had bowled 151 overs in this series.
An uncapped Easwaran and a 53-Test veteran Rahul, who is known for his ability to bat anywhere in the order, are the leading contenders to partner Jaiswal in Perth, but both fell cheaply against Australia A.
Sunil Gavaskar is in awe of Jasprit Bumrah's leadership qualities and reckons the peerless fast bowler will succeed Rohit Sharma as the next captain of the Indian team
Not Cummins, not Starc, this bowler was the difference in the end for Australia, reckons Ravichandran Ashwin
Australia's mouthwatering clash with India sees the two behemoths of the modern game go head-to-head in five tests over six weeks with the tourists eyeing a third straight series triumph Down Under.
