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.
Sri Lanka, who had conceded a 109-run lead, were bowled out for 113 in their second innings
Gavaskar said India need to put their "head down" and try and get as close as possible to Australia's total. R
At Stumps on Day 3, the visitors are struggling at 51/4 with right-hand batter KL Rahul (33*) and team skipper Rohit Sharma (0*) unbeaten at the crease.
Australia bowled out Sri Lanka for 231 in the hosts' second innings and then chased down the target of 75 losing the lone wicket of opener Travis Head.
Washington Sundar expressed his gratitude towards head coach Gautam Gambhir and the support staff for their unwavering belief in his abilities in the post-day press conference in Melbourne on Saturday.
He overtook Australian spinner Nathan Lyon to become the seventh highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.
Manchester United were handed a tricky Europa League last 16 tie against Real Sociedad while Tottenham Hotspur will play Dutch side AZ Alkmaar after the draw was held on Friday, but both managers are more concerned about their Premier League form.
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.
Despite often flying under the radar in discussions about India's all-round options, Axar Patel brings a rare skill set -- a spinner, who bashes spin with his bat, while being a reliable left-arm spinner.
'Lyon has improved as a bowler in the last four-five years. He likes to bowl and he wants to bowl as many overs as possible. His line length is very good and has improved a lot, I feel.'
Australia bundled out Sri Lanka for 212 but endured a top order wobble of their own before reaching 98/3 in reply after a frenetic, spin-dominated day one of the opening Test in Galle on Wednesday.
Images from Day 2 of the fourth Test between Australia and India at the MCG on Friday.
Though Australia have dominated the rain-hit Test, time will most likely deny the hosts.
The Australian off-spinner claimed his seventh five-wicket haul in Tests against India to equal the record of taking five wickets or more in an innings against India with Sri Lanka great Muttiah Muralitharan
Ace Australian spinner Nathan Lyon says he and India's Ravichandran Ashwin are similar yet different type of bowlers, so comparisons should not be made between the two.
Smith needs just 315 runs to become the fourth Australian batter after Ricky Ponting (13378), Allan Border (11174), and Steve Waugh (10927) to reach the landmark of 10,000 Test runs.
Despite the recent injury setbacks, senior off-spinner Nathan Lyon believes that the current Australian team is the 'tightest group' that he has been a part of and is certainly in a much better space than what it was two years back, when India triumphed 1-2 in Tests.
'I think it's more about trying to challenge both edges of the bat'
Both Pant, who played a key role in India's series victory last time, and Carey are known for their aggressive brand of cricket.
'He has not lived up to expectations.' 'If this was Shubman Gill from Tamil Nadu, he would have been dropped.'
'It's unfair to disrupt the balance of the team just to accommodate a big-name player who is out of form.'
Images from Day 2 of the first Test between Australia and India in Perth on Saturday.
The camaraderie between Indian pacer Harshit Rana and Australian speedster Mitchell Starc, former Kolkata Knight Riders teammates, stood out on Day 2.
In his 13th pink ball Test since 2015, the 34-year-old Australian pacer has taken 72 wickets at an average of 17.
Spinner Nathan Lyon will be pinching himself when he dons the baggy green cap of Australia and joins the 100-Test club for the fourth and final match against India at the Gabba on Friday.
Out-of-form skipper Rohit Sharma's batting position will be in focus against a dangerous Australia
Manchester City's spending of more than 180 million pounds ($223.58 million) was the second-biggest outlay ever worldwide by a club in the January transfer window.
Nathan McSweeney, who opened in the first three Tests with little success, has been dropped.
Rohit has joined an upbeat Indian team for the last two matches and Lyon is aware of the threat the batsman can pose with his wide range of strokes.
Australia maintained their perfect record against the south Asians on home soil and continued their recent good form in Tests since retaining the Ashes in England.
At this point it is still anyone's game, with a draw also an option, says Prem Panicker in his analysis of Day 4.
From a bowler's paradise on Day 1 to a batting haven on Day 2, the Perth pitch has defied expectations.
'I think it is very important for any international side to have a couple of decent spinners going into the World Cup'
Cameron Green will change Australia's bowling dynamics for the upcoming five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy and may increase spinner Nathan Lyon's workload
Ravichandran Ashwin is a prolific performer but former Australia chinaman bowler Brad Hogg believes that fellow countryman Nathan Lyon has upstaged the Indian tweaker as the best off-spinner in longest format. Ashwin has so far taken 365 wickets from 71 Tests, while Lyon has 390 wickets from 96 Tests.
India captain Kohli will leave after the opening Test in Adelaide as he has been granted paternity leave by the BCCI to be with his actor wife Anushka Sharma for the birth of their first child in early January.
Himanshu Singh said the confidence stemming from his experience of bowling against Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma during the pre-season net sessions in Chennai is now reflecting in his outings in the Ranji Trophy.
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between Australia and India in Perth on Sunday.
Bumrah now has 36 wickets on Australian soil, and the batter he's dismissed most times is his opposite number Pat Cummins (6).
