Captains expecting intensity to rise for SCG showdown

India's stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane has acknowledged stricter quarantine restrictions imposed on both teams for the final Tests of the Vodafone Series are "a challenge" but his players' focus remains squarely trained on tomorrow's opening day at the SCG.

After his rival skipper Tim Paine suggested tension was starting to build between the teams and might spill over to some on-field exchanges in the third Test, Rahane typically played the straightest of bats to questions about frustrations within the touring party.

It was reported in recent days that unnamed sources within the India camp were unhappy that changed health advice meant players and staff would be confined to their exclusive hotels other than when they were training, playing or travelling to Test venues.

That prompted speculation India did not want to travel to Brisbane for the final Test of the four-match series next week, a rumour that was effectively quashed by Cricket Australia's interim Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley last Monday.

Hockley confirmed he had been in contact with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Mumbai and clarified the restrictions that would be placed upon players from both teams in Sydney and Brisbane.

In his pre-Test media conference today, Rahane deftly referred questions about the schedule to the BCCI in India and team management officials in Australia and denied suggestions the stricter quarantine restrictions were a source of irritation to his team.

"We are not annoyed," Rahane said this evening.

"We know what our priority is, we are here to play cricket and we just want to do that.

"Quarantine life is definitely a challenge, especially when we know that in Australia and in Sydney especially the life is normal but players are stuck in their room.

"Which is okay, we know how to handle it, we are prepared for any kind of situation.

"As a team we just want to do well starting from tomorrow, be in the moment and play some good cricket.

"That's what we are focusing on."

However, in his media conference held seven hours earlier, Paine noted the reports of India's dissatisfaction had pricked the ears of the Australia camp and he expected they may act as a source of verbal tension in the third Test starting tomorrow morning.

Paine said there had been a noticeable lack of on-field "chat" in the opening two matches of the series, currently locked at one-all after India's eight-wicket win at the MCG last week.

But he felt that was about to change in light of some of the banter exchanged in the latter stages of the Melbourne Test, and the response from some members of his team to media reports of the tourists' disquiet.

"It's been unusually tame at the start of this series, and I think it's because both teams are just happy to be back playing Test cricket," Paine said today.

"It's been such a big break, and there's a lot of respect between the two teams but they're very competitive sides.

"I think it's boiling away, there's a bit of chat starting to happen so I think this Test is going to be fascinating, not just from a cricket point of view.

"There's a bit of tension starting to boil under the surface, with a lot of unnamed sources coming out from their camp saying where they want to play the fourth Test and where they don't want to go.

"I think it's starting to grind a few people, so we'll see how it goes."

Paine claimed it was not so much frustration at the media reports that had rankled some in his squad, but rather the uncertainty it created around the location of the final two Tests which CA confirmed earlier this week would remain as planned in Sydney and Brisbane.

While Venues NSW, which operates the SCG, indicated last Monday that Sydney would prepare to host the fourth Test should the travel landscape drastically change due to the COVID19 situation, the ground's curator Adam Lewis today confirmed he was not preparing a second pitch as a contingency.

"I haven't been asked by Cricket Australia to prepare anything," Lewis said when asked if a pitch would be ready in case the fourth Test was suddenly switched to the SCG.

"I think it's still on to Brisbane."

But Paine reiterated his team's preparedness to play the remaining two Tests of what has been an absorbing series to date wherever the ever-changing circumstances dictated.

"When you hear things like that coming, particularly from India who we know hold a lot of power in world cricket, it's likely that it could happen," Paine said of the reports the Brisbane Test might be staged elsewhere due to the tourists' alleged concerns.

"So for us, we just want to be really clear on this Test match.

"We know the protocols, we know what's expected of us and we're going to focus on that this week and then whatever happens next week, we'll adapt to it.

"We're not too fussed, we're not buying into where the Test is being played.

"As far as we're aware it's at the Gabba, but as I said in the team meeting the other day we couldn't care less if you rang us up and said it's in Mumbai tomorrow, we'd get on a plane and we'd go and play it."

The conjecture over venues has been mirrored in the revolving door of playing stocks due to injuries and form issues, with both teams tipped to hand out new Test caps tomorrow morning.

Australia indicated they would reveal their starting XI today to provide clarity on whether or not uncapped Will Pucovski would make his much-awaited debut, but it was confirmed late this evening the team sheet would be made public at tomorrow's coin toss.

Paine had already indicated opener David Warner would return despite still feeling pain from a serious groin injury, while India this evening confirmed seamer Navdeep Saini will make his debut in place of injured Umesh Yadav while vice-captain Rohit Sharma returns to replace opener Mayank Agarwal.

It means both teams could enter the third Test with entirely different opening combinations to the previous two matches.

Australia has dropped Joe Burns and will likely return makeshift opener Matthew Wade to the middle-order should Pucovski play, while India has jettisoned Prithvi Shaw (after the first Test in Adelaide) and now Agarwal who failed twice in Melbourne.

"We are really excited to have him back in the team," Rahane said of Rohit's return after the 33-year-old missed the start of the tour while recovering from a hamstring injury and serving quarantine upon his belated arrival in Australia.

"Especially with his experience at the highest level, which matters a lot.

"He's batting really well in the nets, he came to Melbourne and started his practice straight away when the Test match was over.

"In the last couple of series he's been batting as an opener, so you'll definitely see him at the top (of the order)."

Vodafone Test Series v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

India Test squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: India won by eight wickets

Third Test: January 7-11, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Fourth Test: January 15-19, Gabba, 11am AEDT