“Honestly, if they really needed myself for this series, I’m more than happy to play the next Shield game and go out there and play (the first Test)," Warner said.
Smith has been a rock in Australia's middle-order for more than a decade, but was moved up to an unfamiliar role at the top alongside Usman Khawaja with mixed success when fellow veteran David Warner retired from Test cricket at the start of the year.
The hosts won the series 2-1 and the world's two top-ranked teams will do battle again on June 7-11 at The Oval in the World Test Championship final
India also confirmed their place in the World Test Championship final against Australia in June following Sri Lanka's two-wicket loss to New Zealand in Christchurch earlier in the day
Opener Gill, playing his second match of the series, featured in three 50-plus partnerships to help India, who lead the series 2-1, reach 289-3 at stumps.
Smith led Australia between 2014 and 2018 before he was stripped off the honour following a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa
A winning target of 76 may sound a cakewalk but Australia will have to score those runs on a track where 30 wickets have tumbled on the first two days of the spin-dominated contest.
Milking 'home advantage' is commonplace in international cricket and India have never shied away from preparing pitches that would suit their spinners
The tourists were 156-4 at stumps after Usman Khawaja hit a gritty 60 to drive his team's reply on a viciously turning pitch in Indore
“Honestly, if they really needed myself for this series, I’m more than happy to play the next Shield game and go out there and play (the first Test)," Warner said.
Smith has been a rock in Australia's middle-order for more than a decade, but was moved up to an unfamiliar role at the top alongside Usman Khawaja with mixed success when fellow veteran David Warner retired from Test cricket at the start of the year.
The hosts won the series 2-1 and the world's two top-ranked teams will do battle again on June 7-11 at The Oval in the World Test Championship final
India also confirmed their place in the World Test Championship final against Australia in June following Sri Lanka's two-wicket loss to New Zealand in Christchurch earlier in the day
Opener Gill, playing his second match of the series, featured in three 50-plus partnerships to help India, who lead the series 2-1, reach 289-3 at stumps.
Smith led Australia between 2014 and 2018 before he was stripped off the honour following a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa
A winning target of 76 may sound a cakewalk but Australia will have to score those runs on a track where 30 wickets have tumbled on the first two days of the spin-dominated contest.
Milking 'home advantage' is commonplace in international cricket and India have never shied away from preparing pitches that would suit their spinners
The tourists were 156-4 at stumps after Usman Khawaja hit a gritty 60 to drive his team's reply on a viciously turning pitch in Indore
Ashwin and Jadeja destroyed Australia's batting to set up a six-wicket victory in Delhi on Sunday and give India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-Test series