Cricket will be making its first-ever appearance at the Summer Games in over a century at Los Angeles 2028.
Regular skipper Pat Cummins stays home for the birth of his second child while fellow fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is rested after picking up a calf injury.
It was Smith's 11th Test century against India - the most by any player - and his innings of 140 has put Australia in a strong position after two days of the ICC World Test Championship contest.
Smith also scored a ton at the last Test in Brisbane -- his first since June 2023 -- with the latest his 34th in his 113th match.
In a match that has lost almost two days to rain, India have no real hope of winning and are hoping to salvage a draw and head to Melbourne on Boxing Day with the series locked at 1-1.
While the ton was his first in 24 Test innings - the previous having come against England in the Ashes last year - Smith believes he was ticking all the boxes over the past month in the lead up to the series.
Once the standard-setter in Australian batting, Smith is now looking at what works for his teammates in more bowler-friendly conditions that have emerged in recent years.
Unlike Warner, who signalled his retirement plans well in advance, Smith has shown no indication of when he intends to walk away from the game.
Steve Smith's short-lived stint as a Test opener came to an end Monday with confirmation he will drop down the Australian batting order against India next month, while all-rounder Cameron Green was ruled out of the series.
Cricket will be making its first-ever appearance at the Summer Games in over a century at Los Angeles 2028.
Regular skipper Pat Cummins stays home for the birth of his second child while fellow fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is rested after picking up a calf injury.
It was Smith's 11th Test century against India - the most by any player - and his innings of 140 has put Australia in a strong position after two days of the ICC World Test Championship contest.
Smith also scored a ton at the last Test in Brisbane -- his first since June 2023 -- with the latest his 34th in his 113th match.
In a match that has lost almost two days to rain, India have no real hope of winning and are hoping to salvage a draw and head to Melbourne on Boxing Day with the series locked at 1-1.
While the ton was his first in 24 Test innings - the previous having come against England in the Ashes last year - Smith believes he was ticking all the boxes over the past month in the lead up to the series.
Once the standard-setter in Australian batting, Smith is now looking at what works for his teammates in more bowler-friendly conditions that have emerged in recent years.
Unlike Warner, who signalled his retirement plans well in advance, Smith has shown no indication of when he intends to walk away from the game.
Steve Smith's short-lived stint as a Test opener came to an end Monday with confirmation he will drop down the Australian batting order against India next month, while all-rounder Cameron Green was ruled out of the series.
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.
