‘Ye har match me kya aata hai dekhne’ – Fans react Steve Smith devotes his time to pitch ahead of 4th BGT Test against India

Since regular Australia skipper Pat Cummins has chosen not to participate in the series-deciding match in Ahmedabad beginning March 9, Steve Smith will continue to lead Australia in the fourth and final Test in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy match against India. Cummins, who left the tour after the second Test in Delhi last month, will continue to live in Sydney, where his mother is receiving medical treatment for breast cancer.

The fast-bowling all-rounder’s availability for the three-match ODI series beginning March 17 will be decided later, but it is unlikely that he will play in the series. In that scenario, Smith might captain Australia in ODI matches as well.

“Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the fourth Test against India in Ahmedabad to remain in Australia with his family. Steve Smith will captain Australia in the final Test of this series,” Cricket Australia asserted in a statement. Smith was seen inspecting the Ahmedabad pitch after the completion of their practice session once again. Earlier as well Smith has inspected the pitch before the start of a Test match in this year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

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‘India is a part of the world I love captaining’: Steve Smith

In these difficult conditions, Cummins and his family have the full support of Cricket Australia. In the third Test, which was played in Indore without Cummins, Smith led Australia remarkably effectively. Australia staged a comeback and won the Test by nine wickets to remain alive in the series.

It’s interesting to note that Smith made it clear that he had no interest in taking over as Australia’s regular captain after leading his team to a comeback victory in Indore. “My time as captain is done. It’s Pat’s team now,” said the 33-year-old. Smith, who was sacked from his leadership and given a year-long suspension following a ball-tampering incident in 2018, said he still enjoys making crucial decisions.

“Look, India is a part of the world I love captaining. It’s a game of chess, every ball means something. It’s good to just move people and try to make the batter do something different and just play games with them. It’s probably my favourite place in the world to captain,” Smith said.

Here’s how fans reacted on Steve Smith’s inspection: