Matt Renshaw is not counting on playing in Australia's first Test in India despite allrounder Cameron Green unlikely to be fit in time to bowl.
The left-hander replaced Green at No.6 for the New Year's Test against South Africa, after the 23-year-old broke his finger in the previous match at the MCG.
Renshaw only had a brief stint in the middle at the SCG in his first Test for more than four years, scoring an unbeaten five, as teammates Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith piled on centuries.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald has admitted Green would be seriously considered as a specialist batter in the Border-Gavaskar opener at Nagpur on February 9, even if he was unable to bowl as he recovers from finger surgery.
"Obviously you think about that (potentially playing the first Test) a little bit," Renshaw said after Brisbane Heat's BBL win on Sunday night.
"Greeny's a class player of spin anyway so I don't know if that'll affect it too much, whether it's me or him as a batting option.
"We saw how well he went in Sri Lanka, he's a great player.
"So I've just got to go over there and just prepare as if I'm playing - and if I'm not playing just be a really good 12th man and a good tourist."
The left-handed Queenslander will head for his second tour of India full of confidence after rediscovering his best during the last 12 months.
Aged just 20, Renshaw was David Warner's opening partner when Australia went down 2-1 in a gripping series in India in 2017.
"My game has come a long way since then," the 26-year-old said.
"Definitely the mental side of everything, I've grown up a lot so really looking forward to getting back over there and build on what happened six years ago.
"I felt like I had a really good tour, unfortunately we couldn't win the series, which is the main thing going over there and trying to win that series."
