Called-up quick Pat Cummins looks set to play the third Test against India and spearhead the Australia pace attack in the absence of Mitchell Starc.

Cummins was announced today as Starc’s replacement after the left-armer was ruled out of the remaining two Tests of the Qantas Tour of India with a fractured foot.

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Any doubts about Cummins’ form or fitness with the red ball were cast aside this week when he starred in his Sheffield Shield return six years in the making, claiming 8-104 in NSW’s eight-wicket thumping of South Australia.

While Jackson Bird is the reserve fast bowler in the 16-man touring party, Cummins’ express pace could see him edge ahead of the Tasmanian and be a straight swap for Starc, according to vice-captain David Warner.

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“We know he’s got a lot of pace which he will definitely bring and that’s one thing we always talk about,” Warner said Saturday on Cummins’ call-up.

“You always have to have someone who is a spearhead quick and that’s always been the Australian approach and we know he’s got that firepower.

“It’s been a long time (since his last Test) and he’s been working his backside off to get his body right for one and it was great to see him come back and play the Shield game the other day and bowl well.

“We know with Patty as (Starc’s) replacement we’re going to have that firepower there if the selectors go that way.”

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Further indication Cummins will fill the shoes of Starc in the starting XI came from newly-appointed National Selection Panel chairman Trevor Hohns.

“In selecting Pat, we were looking for a strike-bowling replacement option,” Hohns said on Saturday when Cummins was drafted in.

“Pat has impressed in his return to cricket this summer with consistent performances in his ODI, Twenty20 International and Big Bash matches.

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“He has also had a very good Sheffield Shield return for New South Wales, after six years off, where he made a notable Shield best 4-57 in the first innings, before bettering those figures in the second innings with 4-47 in his man-of-the-match performance.”

At their peak, both Starc and Cummins can reach speeds in excess of 150kph, a frightening prospect whether the pair are bowling in Brisbane or Bangalore.

While the first two pitches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series have favoured spin bowling, Starc still managed to hurry the Indian batsmen with extreme pace and accurate short-pitched deliveries despite the docile decks.

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Cummins shares that ability with Starc, and Warner wants to see Australia’s quicks continue to target India’s batsmen with the short ball.

“For us it’s about putting our best team on the park and hopefully we can get (India’s batsmen) jumping around,” he said.

“But at the moment on these wickets there doesn’t seem like too many people are getting on the back (foot).”

If Cummins plays in Ranchi it would end 1,934 days in the Test wilderness, having not worn the Baggy Green since his only Test against South Africa in November 2011.

In that time the 23-year-old has been plagued with back injuries which have restricted him to playing predominantly limited-overs cricket for Australia, NSW and the various T20 clubs he’s represented.

Now Cummins is one step away from wearing the Test whites again when the series, currently deadlocked at 1-1, moves to Ranchi for Thursday’s third Test.

Test Squads

India (for third and fourth Tests): Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandaran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Karun Nair, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhinav Mukund.

Australia: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Stephen O'Keefe, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade

Australia's schedule in India

Feb 23-27, First Test, Pune - Australia won by 333 runs.

Mar 4-8, Second Test, Bengaluru - India won by 75 runs.

Mar 16-20, Third Test, Ranchi

Mar 25-29, Fourth Test, Dharamsala