Australia have named an unchanged 13-man squad for the remaining two Tests against India.
Under-pressure middle-order batsman Peter Handscomb has retained his spot in the squad but could yet be dropped from the playing XI if the team management pick all-rounder Mitch Marsh.
The four-match series, level at 1-1 following Australia’s victory in Perth, continues at the MCG on Boxing Day.
Skipper Tim Paine, who went with the same combination for the first two Tests, had said that some changes could be expected in the playing XI considering the conditions in Melbourne and Sydney are going to be different from Adelaide and Perth.
Meanwhile, India has ruled out teenager Prithvi Shaw for the remainder of the series as the 18-year-old continues to battle an ankle injury sustained in a warm-up match against the Cricket Australia XI.
The visitors have added hard-hitting all-rounder Hardik Pandya and dashing opener Mayank Agarwal to their squad, with both a chance to play in the third Test.
Australia’s 13-man Test squad:
Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Tim Paine (c), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Peter Siddle, Mitch Marsh.
