The question mark over who will walk out to open the batting with Usman Khawaja in Perth later this month has dominated chatter ahead of Australia’s five-Test series against India.

But as skipper Pat Cummins aims to lead the country to its first Test series win against India on Australian soil in 10 years, what’s drawn little attention is the dilemma surrounding the middle order.

Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Travis Head — the three men set to follow Khawaja and his opening partner in to bat this summer — are approaching the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series knowing their recent Test output has been below the standards expected of them.

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Newly re-signed head coach Andrew McDonald admitted that in an interview with SEN radio on Thursday.

“I think if you asked them they would say that, yeah, they would like more runs,” McDonald told SEN host Gerard Whateley.

“You put context around it; the wickets have been trickier in Australia. There’s been a lot more seam on offer, so we’ve seen the bowling numbers come down and the batting numbers come down. If you looked at it, it’s probably the same ratio as it was before; instead of batters averaging 50 and bowlers averaging 28, it’s come down to batters averaging 40 and bowlers averaging 20. So I think [in] relative terms, I think everything’s remained the same, based upon the surfaces, so I wouldn’t critique them too harshly.

“But, yeah, we need that engine room to perform.”

Since the beginning of last year’s Ashes series in the UK, Labuschagne has averaged 29.68 in Test cricket, Smith 35.14 and Head 28.68.

Labuschagne has strung together 16 Test innings without scoring a century and Smith 21, although the former captain did make an unbeaten 91 against the West Indies last summer.

Head tonned up in Test cricket last summer, plundering 119 from 134 against the West Indies, but that’s the only century he’s scored from his past 23 Test innings.

Smith’s recent statistics were muddied by his brief stint as an opener, in which he faced the new ball on eight occasions in series against the West Indies in Australia and New Zealand across the ditch following the Test retirement of David Warner.

But he’s struggled for the best part of two years in Test cricket, whether padding up as an opener or at No.4, and has endured a rocky start to the domestic season, registering 3 and 0 for NSW in its clash with Victoria.

Despite Smith’s recent struggles, former Australian Test captain Ian Chappell isn’t fazed about the champion right-hander.

“I would make Steve Smith one of your least to worry about,” Chappell said this week on Wide World of Sports’ Outside the Rope.

“If he’s at four, don’t worry about him; there’s plenty of other guys to worry about.”

Labuschagne began his domestic season with a 77 and an unbeaten 35 as Queensland met Western Australia, before making 22 and 10 against South Australia.

Head opened the domestic summer with scores of 30 and 10 as South Australia faced NSW.

It appears there are two reasons why little is being said or written about the lean patches endured by Labuschagne, Smith and Head: the fact that all three are established Test batters expected to bounce back and, of course, the headline-hogging debate surrounding the search for Khawaja’s opening partner.

Australia’s batting troubles deepened on the first day of Australia A’s match against India A in Mackay, which saw Test opening contenders Sam Konstas (0), Cameron Bancroft (0) and Marcus Harris (17) all fail.

But Nathan McSweeney, who could open or bat at first drop against India, reached stumps unbeaten on 29 from 110 balls and could be poised to capitalise on his promising start.

“There’s no doubt our batting is going to be the big talking point of the summer,” said former Australian Test skipper Mark Taylor on Outside the Rope.

“If one of those openers … can nail down the spot, Smith moves back to No.4 and we see the Steve Smith of old, which I’m not sure we will because he’s not getting any younger, either, then Australia are going to win. But if our opening spot doesn’t work, and Labuschagne and Smith, they’ve had quiet years to date. Bare in mind, we’ve only played five Tests this year. If they [Labuschagne and Smith] don’t make good runs, a bit like [Rohit] Sharma and [Virat] Kohli for India, then it will be game on as far as the series goes.”

Australia will need to fill two slots in the batting order because of Warner’s retirement and the absence of rising all-rounder Cameron Green, who is unavailable for the summer because of back surgery.

Mitchell Marsh is expected to bat at No.6 and give Australia’s mainline quicks a chop-out with his handy seamers.

McDonald spoke with his typical sense of assuredness in his interview on SEN radio.

“Our players will be well prepared, and we’re looking for a big summer and plenty of hundreds,” the coach said.

“That’s probably what we lacked last year, but as I said, the surfaces were tricky and everything in relativity sort of made sense to us.”