Trio to be 'welcomed back with open arms'

Amid the renewed noise around Australian cricket's banned trio, the message out of the Test team dressing room is clear - they want them back.

Opener Aaron Finch has echoed the sentiments of national coach Justin Langer, saying the Australians will welcome back Steve Smith and David Warner with open arms.

Cameron Bancroft's ban ends in two days when he returns with the Perth Scorchers and Finch also wished his fellow opener well.

Smith and Bancroft have given interviews that have reignited debate surrounding the Cape Town sandpaper debacle earlier this year.

While Warner has kept his own counsel so far, there is plenty of interest in what he might say given he is painted as the ringleader of the sandpaper plot.

But Finch said Smith and Warner have earned their Australian recalls when they return in three months.

"When Davey and Steve are ready to make their - be allowed to come back and play cricket for Australia and their states - from my point of view they'll be welcomed back with open arms," Finch said.

"Whatever's happened, has happened.

"The punishment has been dealt. They've been working really hard off the field to meet every criteria, and go above and beyond everything that has been asked of them, to come back and play international cricket again."

On Christmas Eve, Langer called Smith the Virat Kohli of the Test team and added he was impressed with the attitudes of the banned trio as they prepare for their comebacks.

Cricket Australia has said the dressing room will have a say in their returns, but Finch said it has not been talked about much.

Finch added he had not seen the Smith and Bancroft TV interviews in the last 24 hours, but only read some social media headlines.

"There hasn't been any chat about it in the changeroom at all to be fair," Finch said.

Domain Test Series v India

Dec 6-10: India won by 31 runs

Dec 14-18: Australia won by 146 runs

Dec 26-30: Third Test, MCG

Jan 3-7: Fourth Test, SCG

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c, wk), Josh Hazlewood (vc), Mitch Marsh (vc), Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Archie Schiller

India squad: Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant (wk), Parthiv Patel (wk), Ravi Ashwin, Ravi Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar