Australia's stand-in captain, Steve Smith, will continue to lead the team in the fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Ahmedabad, which begins on March 9th. This follows the news that regular captain Pat Cummins will remain in Sydney to be with his ailing mother.
Cummins left the team after their second Test defeat in Delhi to be with his mother Maria, who is in palliative care due to breast cancer. Smith filled in as captain for the third Test in Indore, leading Australia to a much-needed win.
According to cricket.com.au, it is still unclear whether Cummins will be available for the three-match ODI series that follows the Tests. Cummins was appointed as 50-over captain last year, so his absence would be a significant blow to the team.
In other news, Jhye Richardson has been ruled out of the ODI series against India due to a recurrence of a left hamstring injury. Richardson suffered the injury while playing club cricket over the weekend. He has been replaced in the squad by Nathan Ellis.
Richardson has struggled with injuries recently, having already missed the back-end of the recent BBL due to this latest hamstring concern. His absence will be a setback for Australia, who will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing Test series.