Victorians Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell have emerged strong contenders for the number six position in the Australian line-up in place of the injured Mitchell Marsh.
The four-match Border-Gavaskar series is poised at 1-1.
While Maxwell has the advantage of being part of the touring squad for the entire trip so far, Stoinis can stake a claim as replacement for Marsh given his all-round skills and strong seam bowling.
Maxwell was not even in the Victorian Shield side at the start of the summer, having been dropped seemingly as a result of his unsuccessful attempt to move north to New South Wales during pre-season.
Stoinis has been the Bushrangers' preferred choice at No.3 for several seasons and has done so with success – until this season.
Image: Marcus Stoinis is likely to get the nod ahead of teammates Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell and Ashton Agar for the third Test starting in Ranchi on Thursday
Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images