Australian Test captain Pat Cummins has claimed Ashton Agar is almost a certainty to be picked in the squad to tour India in February and March.
A lock in Australia's white ball teams, Agar made his return to the Test arena during the third and final Test against South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground to start 2023.
The spinner's selection came as something of a surprise given his limited form with the red ball and the excellent form at Sheffield Shield level of spinners such as Todd Murphy among others.
Agar ultimately played the third Test, which ended in a draw after over 100 overs were lost due to rain, with Australia electing to play just two quick bowlers to go with the spin duo of Nathan Lyon and Agar.
Agar struggled throughout the contest though, taking combined figures of 0 for 58 off just 22 overs, Meanwhile, Nathan Lyon bowled 55 overs in the same time period, while Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins bowled 28 and 31 overs respectively.
Suggestions followed the game that Agar had bowled himself off the plane to India, with Australia likely to take three spin bowlers as part of an 18-man squad, however, Cummins said post-game that Agar being a left-arm spinner means he will "absolutely be there."
"I'm sure Ash will be there. Left-arm orthodox, he'll absolutely be there," Cummins said.
"It wasn't an audition at all. The wicket was a lot different to India. It wasn't really spinning out of the middle of the wicket.
"We thought the wicket was going to spin more than it did. I thought he [Agar] did really well."
While Agar has played 20 ODIs and 47 T20Is, he has played just 5 Tests for his country, taking 9 wickets at an average of 52.
Mitchell Swepson, who played during Tests away from home against Pakistan and Sri Lanka as the second spinner during 2022, is seen as the first choice option to partner Lyon, but with others banging down the door, Agar's spot in the touring party was seemingly up in the air.
In Sheffield Shield cricket this year, Corey Rocchiccioli and Todd Murphy have been the leading spinners, with Rocchiccioli taking 16 wickets at 26.31, and Murphy 14 at 17.71.
Australia's squad is expected to be named this week, with the first Test in India to start on February 9.
