Webster confirmed for Sydney debut in place of Marsh

Beau Webster will become Australia's 469th men's Test player after Australia dropped Mitch Marsh for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series finale at the SCG.

Pat Cummins announced on the eve of the New Year's Test against India that Webster would come in for Marsh, who has scored 73 runs at 10.42 in this series.

Australia XI: Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

Webster was ultimately viewed as a more appealing top-six batting option than Marsh for the final match, with the Tasmania's strong recent first-class bowling numbers also a factor given the short turnaround after their fifth-day win in Melbourne.

Webster has averaged 57.10 in first-class cricket since March 2022, while also picking up 81 wickets at 31.70.

Marsh had only been called upon for 13 overs in the past three Tests. The 33-year-old Western Australian did suffer back complaints following the first NRMA Insurance Test in Perth, but Australian management have since insisted there are no fitness concerns for him.

But Marsh's struggles with the bat - making scores of 9, 5, 4, 2 and 0 from his past five innings - meant he was in trouble.

"'Mitchy' obviously hasn't quite got the runs, and perhaps wickets this series," Cummins told reporters on Thursday.

"So we felt like it was time for a freshen up and Beau's been great.

"It's a shame for Mitchy, because we know how much he brings to the team, but feel like now it's a good week for Beau to get a chance."

Mitchell Starc will play in Sydney but is carrying a rib niggle.

"He was never going to miss this one," said Cummins.

Cummins said Marsh understood the decision and wasn't "blindsided" by it.

"Really excited for Beau; the first thing he (Marsh) said was 'I can't wait to see Beau go out there and give it a crack'," Cummins said.

"Particularly here in Australia, I think when a batter misses out or gets dropped, it's always seen as a big thing.

"But the way that (Australia coach Andrew McDonald), and the selectors and myself look at is we love pulling a squad of players together who we can call on at different times."

Starc was sent for scans on his ribs on Wednesday ahead of Friday's series-deciding fifth Test, with team staff adamant the action is normal procedure.

Friday's Test looms as Australia's biggest in Sydney in 21 years, since Steve Waugh's farewell match coincided with a 1-1 series scoreline against India in 2004.

Beyond winning back the Border-Gavaksar Trophy for the first time in a decade, a victory at the SCG would also ensure qualification for the World Test Championship final against South Africa in June.

The SCG fixture therefore has the potential to be legacy-defining for a number of Australia's team, with teenage sensation Sam Konstas the only player aged below 30.

- with AAP

NRMA Insurance Men's Test Series v India

First Test: India won by 295 runs

Second Test: Australia won by 10 wickets

Third Test: Match drawn

Fourth Test: Australia won by 184 runs

Fifth Test: January 3-7: SCG, Sydney, 10.30am AEDT

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (vc), Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal