Steve Smith To Return To No. 4 For Australia's Test Series Against India

Star Australian batter and former captain Steve Smith is set to bat at the No. 4 position for Australia in the upcoming five-match Test series against India. The reigning champions of the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) are gearing up for the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year. The first Test of the 2024-25 edition is scheduled to begin on November 22 in Perth, with subsequent matches in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.

Australia's chief selector, George Bailey , confirmed on Monday (October 14) that Smith will no longer open the batting and will instead return to the middle order for the side led by Pat Cummins . Smith had previously opened for Australia in their last two series against the West Indies and New Zealand after David Warner’s retirement but struggled to make significant scores.

Bailey explained that the decision was made after discussions between captain Pat Cummins, head coach Andrew McDonald, and Smith himself.

“Pat, Andrew, and Steve Smith had been having ongoing conversations, separate to the untimely injury to Cameron (Green),” Bailey shared with 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,” Bailey added.

With Smith returning to his preferred No. 4 slot, the opening position alongside Usman Khawaja remains open, with Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft, and rising talent Sam Konstas all in contention.

Marcus Harris, 32, debuted against India in the Adelaide Test of the 2018-19 series and last played a Test match during the 2021-22 Ashes. Cameron Bancroft’s last appearance for Australia in red-ball cricket was in the 2019 Ashes at Lord's. Meanwhile, 19-year-old New South Wales batter Sam Konstas has made his case for the spot by scoring twin centuries in a recent Sheffield Shield match against South Australia, becoming the youngest to achieve this feat since Ricky Ponting at age 18 in 1993.