Langer has 'a lot of faith' in 'selfless' Wade

Coach Justin Langer says he has "a lot of faith" in Matthew Wade but admits the veteran would be disappointed by his much-maligned dismissal in Australia's first innings of the third Vodafone Test.

Wade will be seeking to shore up his place in Australia's middle order during the fourth Test after he was unable to post a score of substance at the SCG.

The end of Wade's knock on day four of the third Test, to a straightening ball from India debutant Navdeep Saini, understandably didn't evoke nearly as much criticism as his downfall on day two.

But Sunday's score of four extended a worrying trend for the Tasmanian, who hasn't reached 50 at Test level since November, 2019.

All 12 of those innings have come in Australia.

"In the first innings he looked a million dollars and got out to a shot that he'd be disappointed about ... he'll be more disappointed than we are (disappointed) in him," Langer said.

"But I've got a lot of faith in Matthew Wade.

"That's why he is playing.

"He opened the batting in the first two Tests. He was selfless in that ... and, without cashing in, he played some good innings."

Ricky Ponting was among Wade's critics on Friday after the left-hander advanced at Ravindra Jadeja and skied an easy catch, a similar dismissal to his first innings of the second Test.

Ponting lamented the batsman's lack of game awareness after exposing Cameron Green to the second new ball, while Mark Waugh said the left-hander had “gifted his wicket away”.

Wade is not expected to come under major pressure to retain his spot in the XI for the series finale, which starts on Friday.

Langer and chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns have preached the value of stability over the past year, but the recent dumping of Travis Head and Joe Burns shows their patience has a limit.

Australia's next Test series is pencilled in for February, when Langer's team are slated to tour South Africa.

Wade's adaptability is likely to ensure he is part of the touring party, even if he fails to fire in the final Test against India. 

A week ago, Wade suggested that no assurances were given regarding his place in the team when the temporary promotion to the opening position was first flagged at the start of the series.

"I saw it as an opportunity to show that I was versatile enough to bat from one to seven ... cover every position," he said.

Vodafone Test Series v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

India Test squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Thangarasu Natarajan

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: India won by eight wickets

Third Test: January 7-11, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Fourth Test: January 15-19, Gabba, 11am AEDT