Pat Cummins ruled out of 3rd test due to ‘serious Family Health issue’: The idiom “An unhappy man’s cart is bound to tumble” perfectly describes Australia’s current predicament. Pat Cummins, the Kangaroos’ captain, has been ruled out from the Australian team on Friday and will not play in the upcoming third Test against India.
India vs Australia Test series is underway, with the hosts currently holding a 2-0 series lead. Not only this, India has retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after they defeated Pat Cummins-led squad in the second Test held in New Delhi.
On February 20, Pat Cummins flew to Australia, citing a serious health issue in the family. Now, Cummins has revealed that he would miss the crucial Test since his mother is ill. He also expressed his gratitude to Cricket Australia and his teammates for their support.
Pat Cummins statement
Cummins stated “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.”
Australia was suffering from a blow of injuries when Cummins left, and now it will a tougher campaign for Aussies to go forward and battle the Indians on Indian soil. Veteran opener David Warner, Speedster Josh Hazelwood, and Aston Agar have already flown to Australia and now the exclusion of Cummins is a major setback for Australia in the 4-match test series.
Now in absence of the regular skipper Pat Cummins, Steve Smith will lead the Australian side. After his reassignment as vice-captain in late 2021, when Cummins replaced Tim Paine as captain, Smith will be in charge of the Test team for the third time. During two Tests over the past two summers that Cummins was unable to lead, Smith has stepped in. Both of those matches were played in Adelaide.
Steve Smith, like Cummins, had left India following the Delhi setback. Before rejoining the Australia team in Delhi on Thursday evening (India time), he spent four days in Dubai with his wife Dani before discovering that Cummins would be staying at home for the upcoming Test.
Smith’s first objective will be to prevent India from sweeping Australia, which might harm Australia’s chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship. The team led by Rohit Sharma has already successfully defended the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by winning the first two Test matches in Nagpur and Delhi.
READ: ICC rated Nagpur and Delhi Pitches as ‘Average’ | Ind vs Aus 2023
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