Australia's Test stars are playing the domestic Sheffield Shield matches for their respective teams ahead of their big summer in which they host India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Among the big talking points leading up to the marquee series was whether former captain Steve Smith would continue to open the innings for Australia or go back to the middle order where he has been at his best in his prolific career.

It is now confirmed that Smith will indeed be going back down the order. However, the start of his preparations for the big series hasn't quite gone to plan. Smith was dismissed for a Scott Boland while batting for New South Wales against Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday and he had managed to score just three runs in the first innings of the match. It was a rather unusual dismissal. Smith had shouldered arms and the ball seemed to brush his front pad before going to the wicketkeeper.

Starc and Boland send out warning bells

However, there were some notable performances that India would be weary of among Australia's potential pacers for the series. Nathan Lyon could only get a wicket in each of the Victoria innings but Mitchell Starc picked one wicket in the first and six in the second. Boland, who picked Smith's wicket, has also looked good. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey ended Day 3 unbeaten on 123 off 163 balls while batting for South Australia against Queensland. This is the second consecutive match in which he has got to three figures.

Cameron Bancroft is considered among the frontrunners to open the batting for Australia with Usman Khawaja, now that Smith is moving back down the order, but he has hit a patch of poor form. He was dismissed for eight batting for Western Australia against Tasmania and this follows a pair of ducks he copped against Queensland earlier this month.

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