Beau Webster emerges as Test contender for Australia against India

Beau Webster has emerged as a dark horse for the second Test, with Australia considering bringing the uncapped all-rounder into their squad as cover for Mitch Marsh.

Australian officials had initially named an unchanged 13-man squad for Adelaide, aiming to stick solid with the group beaten by 295 runs in Perth by India.

However AAP has been told potential concerns over Mitch Marsh's fitness are likely to now prompt Webster's inclusion, with the Tasmanian the form player of the Sheffield Shield.

Webster iced Tasmania's tense 55-run Sheffield Shield victory over NSW on Wednesday — an emotional day when the SCG commemorated the 10th anniversary of Phillip Hughes's death.

Webster took two late wickets to help set up Tasmania's last-session win over NSW on Wednesday, while he has hit 448 runs at 56 in first-class cricket this summer.

"He's a special player at the moment," Tasmania captain Jordan Silk said of Webster after their first win of the Sheffield Shield season.

"Any time I feel like we're in trouble I feel like I can throw him the ball and he just seems to be able to create something.

"I know there's a bit of talk around him potentially as a back-up (Test) all-rounder and I'm very supportive of that move if they are to go that way."

Even if Webster is added, it remains possible Australia could stick with Marsh as a batter-only for the Adelaide Test starting next Friday. Reserve batter Josh Inglis also remains in the squad.

The numbers leading up to Australia's Perth capitulation Photo shows Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne sticks his out as he walks off the field in the first Test against India. The complete capitulation in Perth was alarming. The numbers that precipitated this slide were even worse, and hint at a tough period to come for the Australian men's Test team.

Marsh pulled up sore after bowling the most overs he has in a game for three years, with Australia also relying on overs of spin and medium-pace from Marnus Labuschagne.

The development came as Cricket Australia emphatically shut down the prospect of any of its out-of-form batters being parachuted into the Prime Minister's XI side for this weekend.

India will get an opportunity to face a pink ball in the two-day game against the PM's XI, starting on Saturday at Manuka Oval, while there is no cricket for the likes of the out-of-form Labuschagne or reserve batter Inglis.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald was not tempted in the slightest to allow any of the XI that played in Perth to travel to Canberra, saying it "hasn't crossed our minds".

Former Test batter Matt Renshaw, along with fast bowler Scott Boland, are among those included in the PM's XI squad.

"We feel that with the long summer ahead, the prep we've got in place … we'll be well prepared as we were leading into the first Test," McDonald said.

"They'll have some hits when they're back home, so part of the preparation will be when they're at home as well as when we get to Adelaide.

"Bowlers will go through their work in terms of recovery."

After the first Test finished on day four, Australia have decided to arrive in Adelaide on Monday — 24 hours earlier than initially planned.

Where to now for Australia? Photo shows Steve Smith and Pat Cummins sit in the dug out with their pads on before play The scale of Australia's defeat in the first Test against India has left us all searching for answers, and means careers will be put on the line in Adelaide and beyond.

"Obviously shifting into pink ball which will create different challenges in the way we go about it, so we'll invest in that extra day," McDonald said.

McDonald has given Labuschagne his backing as the former number one-ranked Test batter battles through the worst slump of his career.

It will create a situation where India, who played near-perfect cricket on days two and three, will make more changes than the opposition they emphatically beat.

Captain Rohit Sharma will return after missing the win following the birth of his second child, while No.3 Shubman Gill is aiming to return from a thumb injury.

Australia will have to overturn recent history to regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy after going 1-0 down in the best-of-five series.

The last time Australia recovered after losing the first Test and came back to win the series was in the 1997 Ashes in England.

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