Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Steve to continue as captain in 4th Test

Australia have confirmed that stand-in skipper Steve Smith will continue to captain the team for the final Border-Gavaskar Test against India in Ahmedabad. Steve Smith stood in as captain for Australia after Pat Cummins flew back home after the second Test in Delhi. Cummins will remain at home in Sydney to be at the side of his mother Maria, who is in palliative care due to breast cancer. Smith filled in for Cummins as captain in Indore and led Australia to their first Test win on tour. With Nathan Lyon leading the way with a 10-wicket match haul, the visitors spun their way to a nine-wicket victory at the Holkar Stadium. With the win, Australia punched their ticket to the ICC World Test Championship Final 2021-23, which will be played at the Oval on 7 June. They now await to see who will join them for the marquee Test, with India and Sri Lanka as the two teams in the running. No decision has been made yet on Cummins’ availability for the ODI leg of the India series, which begins on 17 March in Mumbai. Cummins was appointed the ODI captain last year after Aaron Finch decided to step down. One change was made to the ODI squad, with Nathan Ellis coming in for the injured Jhye Richardson. Richardson suffered a recurrence of a left hamstring injury while playing club cricket, which ruled him out of the ODI series. The express pacer also missed the latter half of the Big Bash League due to a hamstring issue. Australia’s squad for the ODI series against India: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner and Adam Zampa.