Steve Smith has no ambition to be Australia's full-time captain again but the 33-year-old may continue to lead them in the fourth and final Test against India as regular captain Pat Cummins stays put in Sydney.
Cummins returned home after the second Test in Delhi to be with his ailing mother after Australia had dropped 2-0 behind in the four-match series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Smith led their brilliant turnaround in Indore where they beat India by nine wickets inside three days to secure their place in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) in June.
Coach Andrew McDonald said Cummins remained in touch with rest of the squad in India.
"He's obviously dealing with what he's dealing with at home but he's still so invested in this group," McDonald told reporters on Saturday.
"Our thoughts are still with him and his family at this difficult time.
"We're in constant contact with him daily, so at the moment he's not here and the Test match is a few days away, so we'll discuss with Pat on a daily basis."
Smith led Australia between 2014 and 2018 before he was stripped off the honour following a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
He remains Cummins's deputy since the paceman became Test captain in November, 2021, and has stepped in three times to lead Australia since then.
Smith said he had no ambition to return as full-time captain at any stage.
"My time is done. It's Pat's team now," Smith said after inflicting on India what was only their third defeat on home soil in their last 46 Tests dating back to 2012.
