Cricket Australia announced on Monday that Steve Smith will captain Australia in the fourth and final test against India, which begins on Thursday, while regular captain Pat Cummins remains in Sydney with his family. Cummins returned home after the second test in New Delhi to be with his ailing mother, as Australia fell behind 2-0 in the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
Smith led their turnaround in Indore, where they defeated India by nine wickets in three days to secure a place in the World Test Championship final in June.
“Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the fourth test against India in Ahmedabad in order to spend time with his family in Australia,” a CA spokesperson said.
“Steve Smith will captain Australia in the series’ final test match.”
CA also announced that Nathan Ellis will replace Jhye Richardson in the squad for the three one-day internationals that will follow the test series.
