Pat Cummins, the regular captain of the Australian Test team, has also been ruled out of the fourth and final Test. In his absence, Steve Smith will lead the Australian team in the fourth Test. Smith had once said that he did not aspire to captain the Australian cricket team again, but now the 33-year-old will have to take charge again in the fourth Test to be held in Ahmedabad from March 9.
Pat Cummins returns to Sydney: Regular skipper Pat Cummins, who returned home after the second Test in Delhi to look after his ailing mother, is still in Sydney and will stay with his ailing mother at home for the time being. This was confirmed by cricket.com.au.
Smith led the team to victory in Indore: In the third Test, Smith assumed the role of caretaker captain. In Indore, the visiting team won by nine wickets on the third day. With the win in Indore, Australia also qualified for the final of the World Test Championship to be held at the Oval in London in June.
ODI series will be played after Test: The final Test will be followed by a series of three ODIs. The decision on Cummins' playing in this series will be taken later. Cricket.com.au also reported that fast bowler Nathan Ellis has replaced the injured J Richardson in the Australian squad for the ODI series starting March 17.
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Smith's excellent record as captain: Coach Andrew McDonald had said that Cummins remained in Australia but was in contact with the players. He said that we are with our players and their families in difficult times. Smith captained Australia from 2014 to 2018, but was stripped of his captaincy after ball tampering in South Africa. After that, after becoming the captain of Cummins in November 2021, he has been his assistant and has captained Australia three times during this period.
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