Handscomb was hurt on Tuesday night while playing club cricket in Victoria, when he was hit attempting to play a pull shot. He continued batting, but collapsed in pain three balls later after hitting another pull shot for six.

Scans have since confirmed soft-tissue damage in his right hip. Officials are confident Handscomb will be fit to leave with the Australian team to India at the end of this month.

Starc will miss the first Test in Nagpur on February 9 and fly to India afterwards, while Green is hopeful of playing in the series opener.

Handscomb's best chance of a Test recall is likely to be if he is passed fit for the first match and Green does not recover in time.

Working in Handscomb's favour is the fact he is a right-hander, and could break up the string of left-handers in the middle order. He was recently added to Australia's squad for the final Test against South Africa when Marcus Harris was released for the BBL.

"He deserves his place back in the squad," national selector George Bailey said. "His domestic form has been strong recently and Pete has proven he can perform at Test level. His experience against spin on the subcontinent is valuable and he is also an exceptionally good close-to-the-wicket catcher."