Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood will take no further part in the increasingly ill-fated tour of India and will return home after failing to recover from an Achilles injury, the team said on Monday.
Captain Pat Cummins will also be returning to Australia due to a serious family illness but will return in time for the third test, which starts in Indore on March 1.
Opening batsman David Warner, who suffered a concussion and a fractured arm after being hit by the ball while batting in the second test, will remain with the squad for further tests.
Any changes to the squad will be announced on Wednesday once the selectors and medical staff have deliberated, a team spokesman said.
Australia are 2-0 down in the four-test series after being thrashed by six wickets in the second match in Delhi on Sunday and by an innings and 132 runs in the opener in Nagpur.
Hazlewood missed the first two tests in the series because of the injury he sustained in the third test against South Africa in Sydney in January.
His fellow quick Mitchell Starc and allrounder Cameron Green also missed the first two matches as both recovered from broken fingers.