Having finally bowled India out for 336, Australia finished Day 3 on 21 for no loss, an overall lead of 54 runs in the final match of a see-saw series which remains level at 1-1.
Saini limped off the field due to groin pain and was taken for the scans.
'I tended to agree with the gamble in that I didn't see an obvious replacement with Pucovski out, I was hoping he'd be fit to play.'
Wriddhiman Saha, on nine, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who is 15 not out, will return on Friday hoping to continue India's march towards the 300-mark.
Smith was forced to skip Tuesday's training session but Paine said he thought his predecessor as captain would be ready to go
Gautam Gambhir feels Virat Kohli's team will keep facing the problem of imbalance till it finds a suitable replacement for a half-fit Hardik Pandya
India's captain Ajinkya Rahane on Monday said the racial abuse faced by his teammates Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj during the third Test against Australia in Sydney is not at all acceptable and should not happen anywhere in the world.
Usman Khawaja celebrated his recall to the Test arena after two years in the wilderness with a stylish 137 to drive Australia to a declaration on 416 for eight shortly before the close of play on the second day of the fourth Ashes Test on Thursday.
Paine said Pucovski would open the batting if he was selected for the match
Matthew Wade said he would be happy to remain at the top of Australia's order for the rest of the series
Siraj was rewarded for his tough decision as he took two wickets on an emotional debut to help India bowl Australia out for 195
England's batting once again disappointed against Australia on Day 2 of the third Test
Wriddhiman Saha's superior glovework may be given preference over Rishabh Pant's blazing blade in India's opening day-night Test against Australia, starting at the Adelaide Oval from Thursday.
Since 2011, England have managed to eke out just a single draw in 13 Ashes Tests over three tours and their last two Tests in Sydney have resulted in humiliating defeats.
Usman Khawaja will replace Travis Head in Australia's middle order for this week's fourth Ashes Test against England in the only change to the side that wrapped up the series in Melbourne last week.
Australians survived a barrage of bouncers under lights from Indian pacers before the match ended in a draw at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Hazlewood to miss out again as Australia announce unchanged playing XI for final Test
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon said there is no room for racial abuse in sport and hailed India pacer Mohammad Siraj for calling out racial abuse during the recently-concluded third Test in Sydney.
Former Australia batsman Neil Harvey, who made his Test debut at the age of 19 in Don Bradman's formidable 1948 side, has urged selectors to consider young talents Will Pucovski and Cameron Green for the upcoming series against India.
Images from Day 1 of the Day-Night Tour match played in Sydney on Friday.
Wade will instead head to New Zealand with Australia's Twenty20 squad for a five-match series starting on Feb. 22 in Christchurch.
England face a rejuvenated Australian team who have turned day-night cricket into a competitive advantage, winning all eight of their Tests under lights dating back to the format's 2015 debut.
Play was halted for a few minutes after India pacer Mohammed Siraj complained of racial abuse from a section of the crowd
Images from Day 2 of the Pink-ball first Test between Australia and India, in Adelaide, on Friday.
Bumrah removed Australia openers Joe Burns and Matthew Wade for eight runs apiece in quick succession before tea, however, and Ashwin (4-55) drove home the advantage after the break.
Shubman Gill said it can be 'quite intimidating' to play cricket in Australia but asserted that his team will not back down when faced with either sledging or short-pitched deliveries during the four-Test series, starting in Adelaide on December 17.
Virat Kohli's tourists are the second ranked ODI side in the world and will be looking to get into their groove in the three 50-over and three Twenty20 matches that precede the four-match Test series around the new year.
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane reveals India's game plan going into the final day of the third Test against Australia.
Australia coach Justin Langer called it a shame and one of his greatest "pet hates" after some spectators directed racial abuse at India's players during the third Test and were expelled from the Sydney Cricket Ground for their behaviour.
Steve Smith scored Australia's first century of the series to drive the hosts to 338 all out but India stood firm with 96 for two to leave the third Test in the balance at the end of the second day in Sydney on Friday.
India captain Virat Kohli held on to his second position while stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane broke into the top 10 after gaining five places in the latest ICC men's Test batting ranking released on Thursday.
Paine was given out purely based on a Snicko spike as there was no mark on Hot Spot, which is the correct protocol.
The humiliation in Adelaide has opened up 'serious wounds' for India and Australia now have a good chance of inflicting on the visitors a whitewash in the four-Test series, reckons former captain Ricky Ponting.
Rahul Dravid 'picked' the Australian 'brains' to create solid domestic structure which has served as a feeder line for his country's national team,
Rohit Sharma was four not out, with Shubman Gill yet to score, after the injury-decimated tourists bowled Australia out for 294 in their second innings.
Labuschagne played a knock of 108 runs before he was dismissed by debutant T Natarajan in the final session of the opening day.
Marnus Labuschagne rode his luck to a home-ground century as Australia exploited India's injury woes and punished their poor fielding to reach 274 for five at the close of a steamy opening day of the series-deciding fourth and final Test, in Brisbane, on Friday.
Images from Day 2 of the third Test between Australia and India, at the SCG, on Friday.
Australia were 133 for six at stumps on Day 3 of the second Test against India in their second innings, a lead of two runs, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
'The pink ball Test is probably going to be a bit more challenging in terms of conditions and how the ball moves around in the evening and stuff like that.'
