Smith to captain Australia in ODIs as Cummins stays home
Steve Smith will continue his captaincy stint for Australia a little longer as he has been named the skipper for the ODI series against India. Pat Cummins, who was supposed to lead the visitors, will stay at home as he is grieving the passing of his mother. Australia lost the Test series 2-1 and will surely look to bounce back in the ODI series.
What did Australian head coach Andrew McDonald say?
"Pat won't be coming back, he's still taking care of what's happened back home," said Australian head coach Andrew McDonald. "Our thoughts are with Pat and his family as they go through that grieving process," he added. Smith has been named captain for the three-match ODI series against India as McDonald understands the importance of the series with the World Cup coming up.
How did the Test series pan out?
The series started with a couple of losses for Australia as they were unable to adjust on the turning tracks. Cummins then had to leave for home due to his mother's deteriorating health, and Smith was given the captaincy. He led them to victory in the historic Indore Test, with the fourth match in Ahmedabad ending in a draw. India won the series 2-1.
Smith's captaincy record in ODIs
Smith took over the captaincy in ODIs back in 2015 and remained captain till 2018. He led the Kangaroos in 51 ODIs, winning 25 matches while facing 23 defeats. Three matches ended with no result. In 51 ODIs as captain, Smith slammed 1,984 runs at an average of 45.09. He has smashed five ODI hundreds and 12 fifties as the skipper.
Smith on the verge of scoring 5,000 ODI runs
Smith currently stands at 4,917 runs from 139 ODIs averaging 45.11. He has slammed 12 hundreds and 29 fifties in this format. In 21 ODIs against India, he has scored 1,123 runs at an average of 62.38. He has smashed five centuries and as many fifties against India. His highest score against India in ODIs (149) came in Perth in 2016.
Here's the Australian team for the ODI series versus India
Australia ODI squad vs India: David Warner, Travis Head, Steven Smith (captain), Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (WK), Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis (wicket-keeper), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa.
