Star Australian batter and former captain Steve Smith will bat in No. 4 position for the Baggy Greens in the five-match Test series against India. The 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) winners are set to face India in a high-profile Test series later this year. The series opener of the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is scheduled to take place in Perth from November 22, and the next four matches will be played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney, respectively.
Australia’s chief selector George Bailey confirmed on Monday (October 14) that Smith will quit as opener and instead bat in middle order for the Pat Cummins-led side. Smith opened for Australia in the last two Test series against the West Indies and New Zealand after the retirement of David Warner but failed to score big runs.
Bailey said on Monday that captain Pat Cummins and head coach Andrew McDonald have made the decision to get the 35-year-old back to his preferred No. 4 slot.
“Pat, Andrew, and Steve Smith had been having ongoing conversations, separate to the untimely injury to Cameron (Green),” Bailey was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
“Steve had expressed a desire to move back down from that opening position, and Pat and Andrew have confirmed that he will be dropping back down the order for the summer.”
In Smith’s absence, it will be interesting to see who opens for Australia now alongside Usman Khawaja. Marcus Harris, Cameon Bancroft, and Sam Konstas are reportedly in a race to find a place in the Australian side for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
32-year-old Harris, who made his debut against India during the Adelaide Test of the 2018-19 series, last played a red-ball match for the Australian team in 2021-22 Ashes, whereas Bancroft’s last Test was against England at Lord’s in August 2019.
19-year-old New South Wales batter Sam Konstas has presented his case for the available slot by scoring twin centuries against South Australia in the Sheffield Shield match last week. He is the youngest to hit twin tons in a Shield game since 18-year-old Ricky Ponting did it in 1993.
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