Australia star Steve Smith concedes he is preparing for what is likely to be his final Test on Indian soil.

Smith will lead Australia for a second-straight Test in Pat Cummins' absence, with the fast bowler having returned to Sydney to be with his seriously-ill mother.

Approaching his 96th Test, Smith is unlikely to be back in India when Australia tour again in 2027.

The 33-year-old has loved playing in India, scoring three centuries on Australia's 2017 trip, and said it was his favourite place to captain in the world.

"I probably can't see myself coming back really, if I'm being realistic," Smith said.

"But we'll wait and see, take it day by day, four years is a long time.

"I'll enjoy this one, hopefully it's a great crowd and we can entertain them and ideally finish the series really well."

Australia could boast a dramatically different team in 2027, with Smith and the majority of the pace attack likely to be retired.

Smith said it was important Australia focused on the rest of this year - the Ashes and ODI World Cup.

"There's plenty of dialogue there just talking about what's coming up, what's important.

"You want your best players available in particular for the big tournaments or big series.

"It's just about going from series to series and seeing where everyone is at mentally and physically and trying to put the best team on the park as much as possible."

If it is Smith's final red-ball match in India it will be a spectacular way to go out, with up to 110,000 people expected to pack into the Ahmedabad colosseum named after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for day one of the fourth Test.