Australia is unlikely to settle on a new Test opener to partner Usman Khawaja until the completion of both matches in the current series against India A, coach Andrew McDonald said on Thursday.

National selector Tony Dodemaide is in Queensland for the four-day clash between Australia A and India A, while a second match at the MCG will begin next Thursday, which suggests the full squad for the Border Gavaskar Trophy will not be unveiled until Monday week.

The four leading batters in contention for the vacancy will feature in both matches, with McDonald name-checking the quartet of Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft at a press conference at the MCG prior to play beginning.

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The Australian coach, who has had his contract extended to 2027 on Wednesday, said the selectors would consider a range of factors before deciding on who will play against India in the opening Test beginning on November 22 in Perth.

“So look, I mean, people have spoken about a ‘bat off’ and those types of terms,” he said.

“But there is a lot of context and consideration around (the) body of work for those senior players in Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft. Clearly Sam Konstas hasn’t had that ability to have that body of work behind him because of the limited Shield cricket that he’s played, and then Nathan (McSweeney) is somewhere in the middle of that.

“So they’re all relevant for the conversation. We’re genuine in the fact we haven’t made a decision, and we don’t tend to make decisions until we have to, and that will be the end of the second Australia A game. George (Bailey) has publicly stated that. I’ll look forward to the opportunities to present up north today. It is an exciting day.”

McDonald said it would be a nuanced discussion canvassing both current form, historical work, what is the best fit for Australia and also the challenges posed by India.

New South Wales teenager Konstas failed to further his cause when out for a third ball duck after edging Mukesh Kumar to India A wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan.

Bancroft, who opened alongside the teenager, has endured a lean start to the summer and was also out for a duck when batting at No.3 off the bowling of Prasidh Krishna in what are clearly testing batting conditions.

Australia A earlier dismissed India A for 107, with only three batters scoring more than 10.

McDonald said selectors would consider current form alongside the weight of a contender’s performance over an extended period when deciding who will partner Khawaja.

“There is context with everything,” he continued.

“So you can take Sam, for example, he’s had limited experience in Perth (and with) pink ball games and then obviously with the Gabba. So there’s incredible challenges for players who have not played in those conditions before. It’s not to so that he can’t do that either. He’s a fast learner.

“And then you look at Marcus Harris. It wasn’t that long ago that he played a blinding innings (at the MCG) against England. I think he got 70 runs. And the percentage of runs in that game was hugely important.

“So everyone’s got an avenue through that. We’ve got to, obviously have the (consideration of) context around everything that we decide upon.”

While Konstas and Marcus Harris opened the batting in Mackay, but the order could be adjusted over the coming fortnight to give all contenders an opportunity to face the new ball from the first over of the day.

“I think George was on the record the other day as stating how we have three openers to go into two spots,” McDonald said.

“We’ve got two games to be able to navigate through that as well. Lachlan Stevens is the coach up there and Tony Dodemaide is on deck as well, so we’ll see what unfolds today. And then clearly, there may be some changes for the second game.”