Young Australian all-rounder Cameron Green will require surgery to repair a fractured right index finger, though surgeons are hopeful the 23-year-old should recover in time to be considered for selection for the Border-Gavaskar series in India beginning on February 9.

However, pace spearhead Mitchell Starc faces a potentially longer stay on the sidelines and will be in a race against time to prove his fitness for the four-Test series in India after he too suffered a finger injury while fielding during the Boxing Day Test against South Africa.