Steve Smith will be back as Australia's Test captain as regular skipper Pat Cummins is set to miss the thrd Test between India and Australia that begins on March 1 in Indore. Cummins had flown back to Australia after the conclusion of the second Test in Delhi. Cricket Australia said.

“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,” Cummins said in a statement. “I appreciate the overwhelming support I have received from Cricket Australia and my teammates. Thanks for your understanding.”

With Cummins not available for the Indore Test, the onus to lead Australia now falls on Steve Smith's shoulders.

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This is the second such occasion when Smith will be stepping up to captain Australia's Test team in Cummins' absence. The first such incident happened during the previous Ashes series played in Australia.

During the 2021-22 Ashes, Cummins was forced to miss the Adelaide Test as he was deducted as a close contact of a COVID-19 positive case. With Cummins out of reckoning, Smith, who was the designated vice-captain for the series, led Australia for the first time since he was forced to relinquish the captaincy.

The Adelaide Test marked the first occasion when Smith led an Australian team for the first time since the infamous Cape Town Test in 2018. The Cape Town Test eventually snowballed into the "Sandpapergate scandal" that led to Cricket Australia taking captaincy away from Smith and a subsequent two-year leadership ban as well as a 12-month suspension from representing Australia.

The Sandpapergate scandal rocked the cricket world when Australia's Cameron Bancroft was caught tampering with the cricket ball using a sandpaper. Smith, along with Bancroft and his then deputy, David Warner, were all given severe punishments. Warner was also banned by Cricket Australia for 12 months from international and domestic cricket while Bancroft was prohibited for 9 months. The scandal also led to the resignation of Australia then coach Daren Lehman.

(Edited by : Jerome Anthony)