Webster emerged as Australia's saviour after they slumped to 93-4 after electing to bat first.
Smith hurt his finger while fielding in the slips during the World Test Championship final at Lord's three weeks ago and was taken to hospital.
Travis Head said Monday Australia were experienced enough to cope as they prepare for their first Test without Steve Smith or Marnus Labuschagne since 2018.
Steve Smith will miss Australia’s first test against the West Indies in Barbados later this month and could sit out the entire three-test series with a finger injury, captain Pat Cummins said.
Australia's Steve Smith was taken to hospital with a dislocated finger after dropping a catch in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's on Friday.
Australia batting great Steve Smith is expecting a tough examination from South Africa's impressive pace attack in this week's World Test Championship final at Lord's.
"I hadn't hit a ball since I missed a full toss off Mohammed Shami in the Champions Trophy. "I've hit so many balls over my career, what do they say, it's like riding a bike, I suppose, in a way."
Yesterday, another modern-day Australian great called time on his ODI career a day after he top-scored for his side but could not deliver what was expected off of him.
Steve Smith announced his retirement from one-day international cricket on Wednesday after captaining Australia to a semi-final exit at the ICC Champions Trophy, bringing down the curtain on a career in the format that included two World Cup wins.
Australian batting great Steve Smith begins a tour of Sri Lanka just one short of entering the elite club of 10,000 Test runs ahead of Wednesday's opening match in Galle.
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.
