Star batter Travis Head was a rare exception among the Australian squad preparing for a potentially decisive Test in the Border Gavaskar Trophy to opt out of a non-compulsory training session in Melbourne on Monday.

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After consecutive centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane, the South Australian acknowledged after a rain-marred Third Test at the Gabba that “it had been a big couple of weeks” but that he would be fine for the MCG Test.

While senior batters Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja had extended sessions in the nets on Monday afternoon, the in-form South Australian was not spotted in a session that lasted longer than two hours.

The 30-year-old, who had a “sore quad” and moved gingerly when batting in Australia’s thrash and bash second innings last Wednesday, has performed superbly so far, scoring 409 runs for the series at an average of 81.2.

After speaking to reporters inside the MCG, prospective debutant Sam Konstas and wicketkeeper Alex Carey were in the nets for a session held on conditions that will be starkly different to the scorcher expected on Boxing Day.

The MCC said additional medical personnel will be on hand for a day where the temperature is tipped to reach 40C and is urging fans to make the most of the free water stations on offer at the ground.

Only the sight of Konstas batting in the nets would have warmed the fans who braved Monday afternoon’s wind-whipped session held in wintry conditions where the temperature hovered in the mid-to-high teens.

Konstas looked in good touch in his cameo, so too Carey, with the pair expected to spend longer in the nets in the main training session on Tuesday.

Australian coach Andrew McDonald, who will speak to reporters on Tuesday, spent most of the time in the net closest to the MCG, using a wanger to piff deliveries at Smith and Labuschagne.

Australia also had two left-armed off-spinners in action in the nets in order to prepare for Ravindra Jadeja.

Mitch Marsh has scarcely bowled since Perth but did deliver a few balls early in the session on Monday afternoon. Aside from the compulsory session on Tuesday, the Aussies also have a non-compulsory session on Wednesday morning.

Tasmanian all-rounder Beau Webster has been called back into the Australian squad as a reserve should Marsh not be available.

He may well serve as an option for the Sri Lankan tour given he can bowl both medium pace deliveries and off-spin.

“Once you are in this environment, you get a real hunger to stay around,” he said.

“Sri Lanka is definitely on the cards. I would love to see myself there, but I am not sure what the selectors are thinking.

“We know the wickets will spin. I am just as happy to wheel out medium pacers for the country – I would be more than happy to do a job with off-spin as well.”

MCG CURATOR REJECTS ANTI-INDIA ‘CONSPIRACY’ CLAIM

Amid a tense build-up to the Boxing Day Test, Melbourne Cricket Club curator Matt Page has explained why there is no anti-India bias in the net pitches offered up to both nations.

At least one Indian outlet suggested there was a “conspiracy against India” after players noted the pitches they were able to train on this past weekend were slow with minimal bounce.

But Page said on Monday India chose not to train on the first day Test-quality pitches had become available, with standard procedure seeing those pitches rolled out from three days before the match.

Australia held an optional training session on Monday afternoon.

“For us, three days out, we prepare Test match pitches for here. If teams come and train before that, they get what pitches we have had,” Page told reporters.

“Today, we are on fresh pitches. If India had trained this morning, they would have been on those fresh pitches. It’s stock standard procedure for us, three days out.”

The curator promised a bouncier pitch for the match itself, with Indian pair Akash Deep and Rohit Sharms both hit while batting on Sunday.

“Such blows are common when you play cricket,” Akash said.

“I think this wicket was for white ball, which is why the ball kept low at times. But these blows are common in training. There are no major concerns because of that.”