Steve Smith as Australia captain again? Shane Warne, Mark Waugh engage in fiery debate

Australia's Steve Smith is widely regarded as a modern-day great because of his miraculous consistency with the bat. A certain section of fans believe that the batsman should be rewarded with the captaincy of the team again because of his impeccable outings as a player. Australian legends Shane Warne and Mark Waugh also shared their perspective regarding Smith's captaincy.

Shane Warne and Mark Waugh clash over Steve Smith's captaincy?

The cricketer has once again proved his mettle with his superior batting in India vs Australia 2020 series so far. The cricketer has now also served the ban he was handed after the 'Sandpapergate' and is eligible to lead the Aussie side. Many from the cricket fraternity have sided with the star player and have urged the board to give him a second run as the skipper. Mark Waugh is also one of them and has voiced his opinion in the favour of the 31-year-old. 

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Speaking on the Fox Sports’ Heavy Roller Podcast, Mark Waugh had made it clear that he would have made Steve Smith the captain once again. According to Waugh, Smith has a great cricketing brain, and his experience of leading the side in the past also could be beneficial. He feels that the batsman is one of the best players in the team and is a potent leader. 

Mark Waugh opined that Steve Smith could very well be the ideal replacement of Tim Paine as the Test captain when the latter decides to hang his boots. According to Waugh, the cricketer has already served his punishment, and he deserves to be provided with another opportunity of captaining Australia. However, Shane Warne was quick to counter Mark Waugh's remarks. 

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Shane Warne had a contrasting take on the whole matter. According to the spinner, Australia needs Steve Smith to fire as a batsman, and he should concentrate on his run-scoring. The 51-year-old opined that Smith has had a chance of being the captain, and for the time being, he should only be utilized as a batsman by the team. Warne's pessimism towards Smith becoming captain is not new yet surprising considering that the batsman is the captain of the Dream11 IPL team Rajasthan Royals, of which Warne is the brand ambassador, making the duo work closely with each other for 2 months a year. Warne also added that Pat Cummins, the Test vice-captain, should be given an incentive to play more games by handing him the captaincy responsibility.

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ICC Test rankings

The Australian team are marginally ahead of New Zealand in terms of points, and as a result, are currently stationed at the top on the ICC Test Rankings. With 116.46 points, the Tim Paine-led side are placed at Number 1. New Zealand, on the other hand, with 116.38 points are placed second. The Indian team occupy the third place with 114 points to their name. 

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India vs Australia 2020: India vs Australia pink ball Test 

After the entertaining white-ball matches, the two sides will lock horns in the much anticipated 'Border-Gavaskar Trophy'. The first fixture of the series is slated to be a day and night Test match at Adelaide. The India vs Australia pink ball Test will be played at the Adelaide Oval from December 17. 

Image source: PTI