Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris cop blow in huge call on Usman Khawaja's opening partner

Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris have been considered among the favourites to partner Usman Khawaja in Australia's five-Test series against India, but a couple of new names have since emerged in recent days. Along with 19-year-old NSW opener Sam Konstas - who recently became the youngest player since Ricky Ponting to score twin centuries in the same Sheffield Shield match - the trio have been touted as the leading candidates to win a Test call up for Australia.

Harris and Bancroft both have experience playing Test cricket for Australia, with the former impressing during last year's tour of India and also being part of Australia's Ashes squad. On the other hand, WA opener Bancroft has been the leading run-scorer in the last two Sheffield Shield seasons.

However, neither man took his chance to cement a case for selection in last week's round of Shield matches, with Bancroft only managing scores of eight and two against Tasmania after a pair of ducks in the previous match. Harris fared slightly better in Victoria's 141-run win over a NSW side stacked with Test players, but his scores of 26 and 16 hardly set the world on fire.

Konstas also failed to bang the door down with scores of two and 46 against Victoria, further complicating the Test batting puzzle. And now there's been a fresh push for a pair of other in-form batters in the shape of South Australia captain Nathan McSweeney and NSW opener Nic Maddinson to be given serious consideration for the Aussie side.

SA skipper Nathan McSweeney firming for Test call-up

McSweeney has scored 291 Sheffield Shield runs in his previous four innings batting at first drop, including an unbeaten 127 against NSW. He also made 137 from 131 balls in the One-Day Cup clash against Queensland, with former Australia coach Darren Lehmann and Marnus Labuschagne among those to hail his Test prospects. "Against India and England (in 2025-26) where you are up against quality fast bowling you want someone who bats at the top of the order, and for me at the moment it is down to two... Konstas and McSweeney," Lehmann said.

"I am probably (leaning towards) McSweeney. I have seen a bit more of him of late. I haven't seen enough of Sam. There is a theory with Sam that he gets beaten on the inside a bit and plays away from his body, and I have seen that, but I still think he is a very fine player. He is making runs and that is all you can do."

McSweeney's leadership skills have also impressed Cricket Australia and he will captain Australia A against India A in the first of two matches starting in Mackay on Thursday. Konstas, Harris and Bancroft will also feature for Australia A and have another chance to press their claims for a Test spot, but Queensland skipper Labuschagne admits he was very impressed with McSweeney after coming up against the South Australia skipper in the Shield.

"He is a very good player, and not just his batting," Labuschagne said. "It's everything else he brings in the field, his bowling and his leadership style. This summer could be his opportunity. He has just got to keep going like he is now. If he keeps scoring runs he could put pressure on the selectors to pick him. He has certainly been very good so far this season and was very good last season as well."

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Veteran cricket journalist Robert Craddock is also trumpeting McSweeney's prospects and says Aussie selectors have to look to the future, rather than picking players who've been given opportunities in the past. He says the fact India have decided not to pick veteran quick Mohammed Shami should convince Aussie selectors to go with a Test debutant. “The loss of India to New Zealand and the fact that Mohammed Shami is not coming out is so significant,” Craddock told SEN Whateley.

“It means it's time to be a little bold because if you've got (Jasprit) Bumrah at one end and you've got Shami at the other, that is a classical one-two punch and it's hard to expose a teenager to it. “However, if you've got Bumrah at one end, there's every chance that the guy at the other end could be someone like Akash Deep or someone like that who would be just as nervous as Sam Konstas coming to Australia and playing over here. The third paceman is a mystery, so this is a great chance to blood someone.”

NSW opener Nic Maddinson also backed for Test call-up

Meanwhile, SEN Cricket’s Adam White says along with McSweeney and Harris, NSW opener Maddinson should also be another name in contention, despite the fact he won't feature for Australia A. “I think they've got three options,” White told SEN Sportsday.

“One is Marcus Harris I think or Nic Maddinson opening the batting. Marcus Harris is the one that's in good form to start this year, he’s been there before and proven he can score runs against India before. Then there’s Nic Maddinson because he fits the prototype in the sense that he can face fast bowling, and he can score quickly - which is one of the things that they were wanting. He's played for Australia before as well, and if you look at what he's done over a three-or-four-year period for Victoria, he's scored regular big runs at the Sheffield Shield level.”