Selection surprise as Australia lock in Sydney side for final Border-Gavaskar tussle

Australia have dropped a selection surprise on the eve of the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Sydney, omitting all-rounder Mitch Marsh with series honours and a World Test Championship Final opportunities on the line.

It means Beau Webster will enter the playing XI as the second debutant in as many Tests after Sam Konstas' electric entry in Melbourne.

Webster, set to become the 469th Test player for Australia, is the preferred sixth batter for the side, with Pat Cummins confirming there were no fitness concerns for Marsh despite minor back complaints earlier in the series.

Averaging just 10.42 for the series and not providing cut-through with his overs of pace bowling, Marsh gives way to Webster, whose recent first-class bowling numbers, and a quick turnaround from the Melbourne Test, also contributed to the change.

Webster claimed 12 wickets across his last three first-class outing, taking six wickets and making an unbeaten 46* in the most recent Australia A v India A meeting in Melbourne.

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Mitchell Starc meanwhile keeps his place in the side, declared fit in spite of rib soreness sustained in the Melbourne victory.

Australia XI: Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

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Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (vc), Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal