Pat Cummins to miss third India vs Australia Test, Steve Smith to captain visitors

Australia captain Pat Cummins will miss the third India-Australia Test Match which will be played at Indore from 1 March, cricket.com.au reported on Friday. Cummins left for Australia immediately after his team’s six-wicket defeat in the second Test in New Delhi in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to a “serious family illness.”

It has been reported that Cummins’s mother is in “palliative care.”

Cummins was expected to return to India for the third Test but has now decided against it.

“I have decided against returning to India at this time,” Cummins was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. “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.”

In Cummins’ absence, vice-captain Steve Smith will take the leadership role in Indore Test. This will be the third time Smith will captain Australia since his reinstatement as the vice-captain in 2021. Overall Smith has captained Australia in 36 matches, with 34 of them coming in the 2014-18 period before the ball-tampering scandal.

There’s no clarity on whether Cummins will return later to India. He has also been named the captain of the ODI squad for the upcoming series in India.

On the bowling front, Australia have Scott Boland and Lance Morris as pacers in the Test squad and Mitchell Starc is expected to be fit from the finger injury for the Indore match.

Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the entire tour due to an Achilles tendon injury.

India lead the four-match series 2-0.

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