Pat Cummins is all but certain to play as Steve Smith's strike weapon but there's a race in four for the position vacated by injured all-rounder Mitchell Marsh.

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon will be limited in the amount of bowling he does at training this week as he nurses a callus in his bowling hand but is not considered to be in doubt.

Conditions at Ranchi's JSCA International Stadium hold the key to the final berth in Australia's XI though eyebrows have already been raised regarding the pitch.

Curator SB Singh, who has prepared three wickets, told Indian media "the team will choose the strip two days before the match". He later said by "team" he was not referring to Virat Kohli and Team India but "officials", presumably the Indian board's pitch committee.

Maxwell is considered the favourite for a recall though Marcus Stoinis, Usman Khawaja and Ashton Agar also have claims to lay before selector on duty Mark Waugh.

Unlike Stoinis, who has been drafted in mid tour, Maxwell has had the last six weeks to become accustomed to subcontinental conditions though he has not set the world on fire in the nets.

The Victorian has the rare ability to change a game in a session with his dynamic hitting however Australia's preference this tour has been to graft innings, knowing the importance of 20s and 30s, rather than going down swinging.

"Test cricket, you've got to show defence first, obviously," wicketkeeper Matthew Wade said.

"But I've got no idea how Glenn's going to come out and play if he gets the opportunity, that's probably a question you would have to ask him.

"But in Test cricket, your game is built around defence at times, but I'm not sure how he'll play if he comes out."

Maxwell has been seldom used as a spin option by Smith this summer but dismissed three of India's likely top six in Ranchi, including captain Virat Kohli, during the 2013 series.

Stoinis is coming off a terrible shield summer where he is averaging a measly 15.63 but has had success in India with bat and ball. He claimed the wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara and Karun Nair on an A tour in 2015.

"I think he's a very strong batter. Obviously batting three in shield cricket has placed him in a really good spot to play an all-round role for Australia - he can bat anywhere in the order," Wade said.

"But the last couple of years we've seen improvements from his bowling. Australia A he bowled really, really took pace off. He knocked off a couple of their big players in that series so I think the last couple of years that's probably what the selectors have seen a bit more in him.

"They always knew he was a really strong batter, but his bowling has improved out of sight the last few years."

Agar, who is believed to have been very close to playing the first Test, will charge into the frame if Australia are presented another raging turner like Pune. However, that would leave Australia's batting shallow with Wade at No.6.

Selectors have not ruled out Khawaja either. The left-hander has paid the price for his moderate form on the subcontinent but has shown he can be a match-winner, albeit not in these conditions.

But he will only be recalled if selectors deviate from their all-rounder formula and pick an extra specialist batsman to strengthen their top six.