Australia have named a 15-member squad for the next two Tests against India, dropping Nathan McSweeney for Sam Konstas, who, on debut, recently smashed the fastest team fifty ever in the Big Bash League. Josh Hazlewood missed out due to an injury and has been replaced by Jhye Richardson along with Sean Abbott.

Cummins will continue to lead the team, with both Head and Smith as the vice-captains. While teams generally name one, Australia have had two Test vice-captains for nearly six years, the latest instance of it being when they promoted the left-hander to the role ahead of the Pakistan Test series in December 2023.

“Really excited to have Trav on board as the co-vice-captain," Cummins had said last year. "He's been playing for a long time. He's always been a leader in our group. So we thought it was a good time to formally recognise that.

"Whilst nothing's imminent, Steve's not going to play forever. I daresay I'm not going to captain forever. So we feel like we've got some responsibility to future-proof the team and start trying to give opportunities to other leaders,” Cummins had said last year.

Smith will still be the senior vice-captain, meaning he will step in as the leader whenever Cummins is absent.

This is not the first time that Australia have had a co-vice-captain, with Cummins himself being appointed one of the leaders, alongside Head, when Tim Paine was the Test skipper.

Cummins and Head had been named the Test vice-captains in February 2019, replacing the previous co-vice-captains Mitchell Marsh and Josh Hazlewood. Head lost the title after he was dropped during the 2020-21 home series against India, only to be reinstated three years later.

However, being a co-vice-captain is not a guarantee of the top job, according to Cummins. “It doesn't guarantee anything. But we're giving him a good opportunity. So when you look through the candidates for future captains, of course, he's going to be right up there. And I know in my last couple years before I became captain, being in some of those conversations as a vice-captain really helped fast-track my readiness. So down the track, it might be Trav, it might be someone else, but we want to make sure they're as prepared as they can be."

Head has been in sensational form this series, making 89, 140, 152 and 17 in his last four innings. Overall, he has made 409 runs at an average of 81.80.

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