Steve Smith will lead Australia in the fourth and final Test against India in Ahmedabad as Pat Cummins has opted to stay back in Australia for personal reasons. Cummins left for Sydney following the second Test in Delhi to be with his mother Martha who is in palliative care with breast cancer.
Smith captained Australia in the Indore Test in Cummins' absence and the team secured a famous victory. Apart from Nathan Lyon's eight-wicket haul, Smith's leadershipalso came in for a lot of praise as he marshalled his resources expertly and did not allow the Indian batters to settle into any sort of rhythm with his changes in bowling and the field.
It is still unclear if Cummins, named the ODI captain of Australia last year, will be available for the three-match ODI series against India which follows the Ahmedabad Test. The fourth Test will be played from March 9 to 13 while the ODIs start on March 17.
Meanwhile, Jhye Richardson has been ruled out of the ODI series against India due to a hamstring injury and will be replaced in the squad by Nathan Ellis. Richardson suffered a recurrence of a left hamstring injury while playing club cricket. He had also missed the latter part of the Big Bash League due to hamstring issues. The fast bowler is now doubtful to partake in the 2023 edition of IPL, where he was picked by Mumbai Indians.
