Pat Cummins has decided to stay in Australia for personal reasons and let Steve Smith lead Australia in the fourth and final Test against India in Ahmedabad. After the second Test in Delhi, Cummins went to Sydney to be with his mother Martha, who has breast cancer and is receiving palliative care.
In Cummins’s absence, Smith led Australia in the Indore Test, and the team won a big game. In addition to Nathan Lyon’s eight wickets, Smith’s leadership also got a lot of praise because he used his team’s resources well and kept the Indian batters from getting into a rhythm by making changes in the bowling and fielding.
Cummins was named Australia’s ODI captain last year, but it is still not clear if he will be able to play in the three-match ODI series against India after the Ahmedabad Test. From March 9 to 13, the fourth Test will be played, and the ODIs will start on March 17.
Also, Jhye Richardson can’t play in the ODI series against India because he hurt his hamstring. Nathan Ellis will take his place in the team. Richardson hurt his left hamstring again while he was playing club cricket. He had also missed the end of the Big Bash League because of problems with his hamstring. The fast bowler might not be able to play in the IPL in 2023, when Mumbai Indians picked him.
