Steve Smith to Lead Australia in Ahmedabad Test As Pat Cummins Stays With His Ailing Mother

New Delhi, March 6: Australia has confirmed that stand-in skipper Steve Smith continue to lead the side in the fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Ahmedabad, starting from March 9, as regular captain Pat Cummins will stay at home in Sydney to be with his ailing mother.

Cummins, who returned home after Australia’s second Test defeat in Delhi, will remain in Sydney to be at the side of his mother Maria, who is in palliative care due to breast cancer.

In the absence of a regular skipper, Smith filled in as captain to lead the visitors to a rare win in Indore Test, keeping their hopes of levelling the series in Ahmedabad alive.

Steve Smith – Australian Test Captain in Photoshoot. pic.twitter.com/600vJbOo6S

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 28, 2023

According to cricket.com.au, no call has yet been made on Cummins availability for the three-match ODI series that follows the Tests, with the fast bowler having also been appointed as 50-over captain last year.

Steve Smith as a Test captain in India:

Matches – 5
Won – 2
Lost – 2
Draw – 1

A record to remember for his lifetime considering how tough it is to win in India in the last decade. pic.twitter.com/5SB7aTkLYl

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 3, 2023

Meanwhile, Jhye Richardson, who suffered a recurrence of a left hamstring injury while playing club cricket on the weekend, has been ruled out of the ODI series against India, commencing from March 17. He has been replaced by Nathan Ellis in the squad.

Richardson has been plagued by injuries in recent times, having missed the back-end of the recent BBL due to this latest hamstring concern.