"Better Than What Pat Cummins Would Have...": Ravi Shastri's Big Compliment For Steve Smith, The Captain

01.03.2023 - 08:51 sports.ndtv.com

Steve Smith is leading Australia in the third Test against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He replaced regular captain Pat Cummins, who is in Australia to be by his ailing mother's side.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri believes that Smith always raises his game whenever he is the captain. Notably, Smith was earlier the Australia captain until a ball-tampering incident in South Africa saw him getting stripped of captaincy. "Firstly, whenever I have seen Smith captain the side, he's been a different batter, a better batter.

The responsibility of captaincy seems to bring that different kind of mindset. His concentration levels seem far higher, and you just have to look at his batting average as captain.

It is outstanding. He is one of those players who thrives on the extra workload of leading the side," Shastri wrote in his column for The Age. "India will be aware that someone like Smith somewhere down the line in this series will come good.

cricket Australia Cricket Team 2023 Cummins Pat Cummins Steve Smith Steven Smith Ravi Shastri Australia South Africa India Delhi

After registering a thumping 10-wicket victory over India, captain Steve Smith lauded Australia's "outstanding" bowlers and said Mitchell Starc in particular with the new ball put Men in Blue under pressure. Starc's fifer followed by Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head's brutal hitting guided Australia to 10 wickets victory with 234 balls to spare against India in the second ODI of the three-match series at YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam on Sunday. Starc returned with a figure of 5/53 in eight overs, his ninth ODI five-wicket haul, as India was bundled out for 117 runs in 26 overs.

Pat Cummins To Stay Home, Steve Smith Named Captain Of Australian Team For Odi Series Against India

Pat Cummins to stay home, Steve Smith named captain of Australian team for ODI series against India, Cricket Australia has confirmed. Cummins had returned home after the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India to be with his ailing mother who was in palliative care. A few days later, Cummins' mother sadly passed away. In the pacer's absence, Steve Smith led the Australian team in the 3rd and 4th Test against Australia. Speaking of the development, Australia head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed that Smith will continue to lead Australia on the India tour.

"Madness...": Steve Smith On How Delhi And Ahmedabad Tests Were Different

Following his side's series loss to India, Australia skipper Steve Smith said that the wicket was too flat at Ahmedabad to force a result and his side started playing better cricket as the series went on. Half-centuries from Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne helped Australia draw the fourth and final Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday. "Did end slowly. Was a pretty flat at the back end. The boys had a great time. The hospitality has been amazing. The crowd has been amazing. We started to play better as the series went on. The madness in one hour in Delhi cost us that game. The wicket here was too flat for us to force a result. The spinners bowled really well. Murphy and Kuhnemann bowled with composure. Lyon bowled his best in the first innings here, the best I have seen him bowl. I am getting a bit old (on asked if he will be touring India in four years time)," said Smith in a post-match presentation.

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The world suddenly come to a standstill as India and Australia squared off in the 4th Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Ahmedabad. With Usman Khwaja and Cameron Green scoring centuries, India found themselves on the back foot. Considering the manner in which the first three Tests had concluded, India captain Rohit Sharma endured a new challenge as his bowlers struggled to pick up wickets. Even former India head coach Ravi Shastri had no hesitation in suggesting that the match has turned out to be a big learning curve for the Hitman.

Pat Cummins' Mother Maria Dies, Australian Players To Sport Black Armbands On Day 2

Maria Cummins, mother of Australia Test captain Pat Cummins, has died after battling a prolonged illness. Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed the news through a tweet on Friday morning, ahead of the start of Day 2 of the ongoing fourth Test between India and Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. CA also confirmed that the Australia players will don "black armbands as a mark of respect" for Pat Cummins and his family.

"Pav Bhaji Pulls On Heartstrings Touch More" Than Engagement: Why Pat Cummins' Reply To Comedian's Tweet Is A Winner

Australian all-rounder Pat Cummins is enjoying the local cuisine during his time in Mumbai and Pune amid the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season. On Friday, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star took to Twitter to share a picture of his order of pav bhaji. The picture went viral, getting over 83,000 likes and 2,000 retweets. Australian comedian Adam Spencer took to Twitter to make a funny observation about how Cummins' tweet on the street food delicacy got more engagement on social media than his post announcing that he got engaged.