India Vs Australia: Another injury scare for Aussies as Steve Smith suffers sore back

Steve Smith suffered a sore back on Tuesday, which turned out to be another injury scare for the Australians ahead of the first Test against India in Adelaide.

Smith, who was late for Tuesday's practice session at the Adelaide Oval, did not bat in the nets. He was seen fielding and participating in the early warm-ups, but 10 minutes into the session, the top-ranked batsman was seen signalling to the support staff. He then walked off the field gingerly, shaking his left arm, according to reports.

The lead up to the Border Gavaskar series for the hosts has been quite chaotic as a series of players are missing in the camp, either because of injury or personal reasons: David Warner (groin), Will Pucovski (concussion), Mitchell Starc (personal leave), Cameron Green (concussion) and even his nominal replacement Moises Henriques (hamstring).

A spokesman from the Australian camp reportedly said that Smith only had a sore back, but would train on the eve of the pink-ball Test.

Earlier in the day, Australian head coach Justin Langer said that all-rounder Cameron Green will make his Test debut against India in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval if he comes through the concussion protocols.

The 21-year-old was struck on the head while bowling to India's tailender Jasprit Bumrah last week during the tour game between Australia A and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and was replaced by Pat Rowe under the concussion rules. Before being taken off the field, the young all-rounder produced impressive performances, with both bat and ball. He scored an unbeaten knock of 125, including 12 fours and one six. Apart from that, Green had also dismissed Indian openers Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw in the second innings of the match.

Green is expected to train with the Australia squad over the next two days and undergo testing for any persisting concussion symptoms ahead of the day-night Test, which begins on Thursday, as reported by Sky Sports.

"If he's passed fit he'll definitely play. We're just going through the concussion protocols. If Cameron gets through the protocols and he gets through training and he feels good... he'll make his Test debut, which is very, very exciting for Australian cricket, for him and his family," Langer told reports on Tuesday.

It is understood that Pucovski and Warner, who were initially drafted to open against India in the Test series, are aiming to return to the side for the Boxing Day fixture. With Warner and Pucovski missing and Joe Burns struggling to score runs, Australia may be desperate to have all-rounder Green back in the squad in time for the Adelaide Test.

While Marnus Labuschagne's position may not be touched, Langer hinted that promoting Matthew Wade to the opener's slot could be an option for the hosts. "He's got good footwork. He's got the game for it. He can counterattack as David Warner does and a lot of the great openers do. He can definitely do it. We just have to work out what the best make up of our team is going to be," added Langer.