IND vs AUS: Australia's batter Steve Smith gets an extended role as the Aussie test captain as regular skipper Pat Cummins will miss the fourth Test of the series. Cummins, who missed the third test of the Border Gavaskar series will continue to remain with his seriously ill mother, who is suffering from breast cancer and is in palliative care. Smith led Australia to their first win of the series in Indore.
Australia are currently 2-1 down in the series and will look to level the contest. Cricket Australia's cricket.com.au confirmed the captaincy development on Monday. "Australia have confirmed Steve Smith will again captain the Test side in their Border Gavaskar Trophy series-concluding match in Ahmedabad. Pat Cummins, who departed the tour following the second Test in Delhi last month, will remain in Sydney where his mother Maria is ill with breast cancer and is in palliative care," the website wrote.
Notably, Cummins' participation in the three-match ODI series is yet to be decided. Smith, who was the Australian captain until the infamous incident in South Africa, has also stated that he does not incline for a full-time role. "My time is done. It's Pat's team now," Smith told reporters after the Indore win. "I've obviously been able to stand in this week, obviously in tough circumstances with Patty going home. Our thoughts are still with him back home," he added.
Australia have qualified for the World Test Championship final after defeating India in Indore. They will now play against either India or Sri Lanka in the final at the Oval in June. The Australian team will then head to England for the Ashes series.
Australia's updated squad for India Test series:
Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith (c), Peter Handscomb, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Swepson, Matt Renshaw, Scott Boland, Lance Morris
