On Steve Smith vs Pat Cummins Captaincy Debate, Australia Great's Verdict

Australia bagged a nine-wicket victory over India in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, after facing big defeats in the first two matches. The visitors arrived in India with star pacer Pat Cummins leading the pack in the first two Tests. However, Cummins had to fly back home to be with his ailing mother and in his absence, team's vice-captain Steve Smith took over the reign. Smith, who was refrained from the captaincy after he was found guilty in the 2018 'sandpaper gate' incident in South Africa, was recently shown the green signal from the ICC. The batter's stint as a captain turned out to be a blessing for Australia as he guided the visitors to a big win in the third Test.

As Smith has been receiving a lot of praise from fans and experts, former Australia all-rounder Brad Hogg stated that the batter should replace Cummins as the full-time Test captain as it's important for a pacer to manage his workload, especially when he is playing in all three formats and the Indian Premier League. 

"I think Steve Smith should be the permanent captain. Fast bowlers, you need to give them a bit of a break, especially when they are playing all three formats. Pat Cummins is going over playing in the IPL as well. His workload is going up. For me, I think the batters have to be captains because it is too much pressure on the fast bowlers. Yes, Pat Cummins has got away with it early on, but as time goes on, I think it's going to create a little more frustration," said Hogg in a video posted on his YouTube channel. 

Smith will captain Australia once again, having led the team to a morale-boosting nine-wicket win in the third Test in Indore last week. Cummins, who departed the tour following the second Test in Delhi last month, will remain in Sydney where his mother Maria is ill with breast cancer and is in palliative care.

After leading Australia to a famous win, Smith had suggested that his time as captain is "done" and it's now "Pat's team".

"My time is done. It's Pat's team now," Smith told reporters after the nine-wicket win. "I've obviously been able to stand in this week, obviously in tough circumstances with Patty going home. Our thoughts are still with him back home.

"But India is a part of the world I love captaining ... it's probably my favourite place in the world to captain.

"Every ball is an event and therefore can dictate what happens after, which is something that I really love and you've got to be ahead of the game.

The fourth and final Test of the series will be played in Ahmedabad from March 9.

Topics mentioned in this article

Australia Cricket Team India Cricket Team Pat Cummins Steven Smith Brad Hogg India vs Australia, 2023 Cricket