Pat Cummins, 28, becomes only the second specialist fast bowler to take the captaincy after Ray Lindwall, who led for one Test against India in the mid-1950s.
As vice-captain, 28-year-old fast bowler Pat Cummins would be the obvious choice to replace Tim Paine. His appointment would enable a rapid transition with the start of the Ashes series against England only three weeks away.
One of the reasons why bowlers are rarely considered captains is because they are more susceptible to injuries than batters, argues Vishal Menon.
Former Australian captain Steve Waugh, along with four others, would be inducted into the International Cricket Council's Hall of Fame in Sydney on Monday.
The Indian cricketers wore black armbands on the opening day of the fourth and final Test against Australia in Sydney as a mark of respect for Sachin Tendulkar's coach Ramakant Achrekar who passed away on Wednesday.
With Paine, at 36, reaching the fag end of his career, a fresh captaincy discussion has started.
Paine succeeded Smith as captain in 2018 after the batter was banned from international cricket for 12 months and suspended from leadership roles for two years for his role in the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.
'Right now I think Finchy (Aaron Finch) is doing a great job, Painey is doing a great job. So, that gives Pat Cummins the opportunity to learn and watch and sit back and see how he feels about that role and experience a few different things'
I'm against the whole resting rule. I don't like bowlers resting: Brett Lee
History has not seen a cricketing rivalry as fierce as this this century, every ball bowled every run taken, coming with no quarter given. Ahead of India's five Test tour of Australia, Norma Astrid Godinho/Rediff.com takes a walk down memory lane, recounting India's sojourns Down Under from 1947 to 2021, in a 4-part series.
Rajneesh Gupta surveys the bowling landscape in India-Australia Tests.
Rajneesh Gupta presents all the numbers.
An all-round effort from Team India saw the hosts bundle out Australia for 112 runs and record a superb 75-run win on Day 4 of the 2nd Test in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Here are the statistical highlights from Day 4 of the match.
'If Richie Benaud was born to play cricket and born to lead, he was also born to commentate on the game he graced with his inspirational presence.'
'Of the 32 captains who have led India in Test cricket, only four have been pure bowlers -- Ghulam Ahmed, Venkatraghavan, Bishan Bedi and myself.' 'The captain must lead with only one idea in mind -- to win the game. The draw mentality is partly because captains lacked confidence and partly because they want to protect their record. If you don't think winning is the point of the game, there is little point in even entering the field.' 'As the Monekygate controversy raged, I received a message from Bishen Bedi, no stranger to controversies himself. "As a captain," he wrote, "take a decision you will be proud of when you look back on history".' Anil Kumble, cricketing legend, on the Art of Captaincy.
So India lost its first World Twenty20 game on Tuesday night. Maybe, we fielded the wrong team :) Haresh Pandya picks 11 India greats who never played the shortest format, but can take on any team in the World T20 championships.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances