Steve Smith will lead Australia in India after Australia confirmed that skipper Pat Cummins would miss the third Test in Indore next week due to a family ailment.
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Steve Smith will lead Australia in India after Australia confirmed that skipper Pat Cummins would miss the third Test in Indore next week due to a family ailment. Cummins rushed home to Sydney following the Australians’ second-Test defeat last week, claiming in a statement that his mother “is sick and in hospice care”. With a nine-day hiatus between Tests after the three-day conclusion in Delhi, it was anticipated the 29-year-old would travel to India for the third Test, which begins on Wednesday. But, Australia announced on Friday that Cummins will miss the Indore Test. They are leaving the option open for him to return for the fourth Test in Ahmedabad, although Smith may end up captaining both remaining matches.
“I have decided against returning to India at this time,” said Cummins. “I feel I am best being here with my family. I appreciate the overwhelming support I have received from Cricket Australia and my teammates. Thanks for your understanding.” Following the second Test, Smith spent four days in Dubai with his wife Dani before rejoining the Australia squad in Delhi on Thursday evening (India time), when he was notified of Cummins’ choice to stay at home for the next Test. The rest of the team was briefed at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday morning. The Australians will practise in New Delhi for two more days before heading to Indore on Sunday.
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It will be Smith’s third Test captaincy since his restoration as vice-captain in late 2021 when Cummins took over from Paine. Smith has taken over as captain for two Tests that Cummins has been unable to attend, both of which have taken place in Adelaide in recent times. Between 2014 and 2018, Smith captained Australia in 34 Tests, including the most recent Test tour of India in 2017, a controversy-plagued campaign in which Smith dominated with the bat, making three centuries. This series has been less productive for the great right-hander, who has scored 71 runs at a rate of 23.66 in four innings. While the leadership transition should be relatively straightforward given Smith’s previous leadership experience, Australia’s selectors must now determine how to balance the bowling assault in Cummins’ absence.
If the surface is expected to change, three spinners might be used again, especially given that Cameron Green has declared himself healthy after missing the first two Tests against India due to a finger injury. Since Cummins was the only seam-bowling option in Delhi, Green’s return would provide Australia with a second seam-bowling option. Mitchell Starc, who is recovering from a significant finger injury, is also likely to participate and might be a straight substitute for Cummins. “When you come in as an allrounder, you might be able to help out with team balance maybe a little bit,” Green told reporters in Delhi on Friday. “It will be interesting to see which way the selectors go for this game.”
