Australia’s national selector, George Bailey, confirmed on Monday that Steve Smith will return to the middle order for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India, following a brief stint as a Test opener.
Smith was promoted to the opening position after David Warner’s retirement, and while he scored an unbeaten 91 in his second match against the West Indies, he struggled during the subsequent series against New Zealand, managing only 51 runs across four innings.
With all-rounder Cameron Green ruled out for the Test series against India due to surgery for a stress fracture in his lumbar spine, Bailey confirmed the decision to shift the 35-year-old back to his preferred No. 4 position.
“Pat, Andrew and Steve Smith had been having ongoing convers, separate to the untimely injury to Cameron (Green),” Bailey told reporters as per 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.”
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a five-match Test series, will begin on November 22, 2024, and conclude on January 7, 2025.
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