Tim Paine challenged Rohit Sharma to hit a six and vowed to change his allegiance to Mumbai Indians (AP Photo)

India batsman Rohit Sharma has responded to the banter which took place between Tim Paine and Aaron Finch on Day 2 of the third Test between India and Australia on Thursday.

Paine and Finch were trying to distract Rohit, when he was batting in the final session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

During a critical moment in the second day's play, Paine told Finch, who was standing close in: "It's a bit of a toss up between Royals and Indians for me. But if Rohit hits a six now, I'm changing to Mumbai."

But the trick didn't work as Rohit carried on batting undeterred with what was being said around him.

Aaron Finch discusses the IPL banter with skipper Tim Paine when Rohit Sharma was out in the middle #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/wcuElzaHHE cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 27, 2018

Before the start of play on Day 3, Rohit admitted to having heard Paine and Finch's banter and joked about buying the Australian captain for Mumbai Indians if he hits a hundred.

"I was hearing that but when I'm batting I just focus on the job at hand. But I had a chat with Ajinkya Rahane and I joked that if he (Paine) gets a hundred here, I will put in a word about him to my boss at Mumbai Indians and we'll buy him. Looks like he's a fan of Mumbai," Rohit said before the start of play on Friday.

Rohit Sharma leads Mumbai Indians while Rahane, who was at the other end, led Rajasthan Royals in the 2018 season.

Rohit and Rahane added 62 for the fifth wicket and were instrumental in India's eventual 443 for 7 declared. Finch walked out to face India's pacers with Marcus Harris and the pair survived six hostile overs.

Rohit also spoke about his back injury, which was troubling him while batting on the second day.

"Not right now I'm fine. This is the first time I've had this issue. I had a chat with Virat because he's had it before. He says it's a recurring issue. I didn't feel anything yesterday but I have to be really careful from now on," Rohit said.

India were also seen practicing their slip catching with a lot of intensity. Rohit says the position of the slip fielders is going to be crucial for them in this Test match.

"Just to make sure we stand at the right position. It's not the usual MCG pitch so we might need to stand slightly ahead of where we stand. The ball will get soft early so it's important we change our position accordingly," Rohit said.