IND vs AUS: Cummins to stay back in Australia with ailing mother, Steve Smith named captain for Indore Test

Australian captain Pat Cummins will miss the third Test against India in Indore as he is staying back with his ailing mother who is currently in palliative care. In his absence, former skipper Steve Smith will leave the side in the third Test that begins on March 1st. Earlier, following the second Test in Delhi, Cummins flew home to be with his ill mother and vowed to return in time for the Indore match. However, he has now released a statement saying he’s staying back with his family in this hour and has thanked Cricket Australia for supporting him.

“I have decided against returning to India at this time as my mother is ill and in palliative care. 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,” Pat Cummins said in a statement.

Meanwhile, not only Cummins, Australia will also miss the services of injured players in opener David Warner and fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, both of whom boarded the same flight back home with Pat. While David suffered concussion and an elbow fracture during the Delhi Test, Hazlewood was benched since the beginning of the tour as he continues to recover from the Achilles problem.

While Cricket Australia hasn’t named any replacement for Cummins, fit now Mitchell Starc is likely to take his place in the team for the upcoming Test. Whereas, Mitchell Swepson, who went home after the end of Nagpur match for the birth of his first child, will also be available for selection.

Struggling Australia to avoid series whitewash

To say that Aussies have struggled against the spin on this tour would be an understatement. Of the 40 wickets that have fallen across two Tests, 32 of them have gone to the spinners with Ravindra Jadeja coming out to be the biggest threat. While he contributed big time with both bat and ball in the first Test by scoring 70 and picking up a five-for in the first innings, he picked his career-best figures of seven for 42 in the second innings of the Delhi Test.

Now for Australia to avoid getting in a situation where they could be out of the race for a spot in the World Test Championship finals, they have to ensure they are at least winning one game in the remaining two Tests. Under Smith, they will fancy their chances of making a return in the Border-Gavaskar series.