Cummins had flown back home to attend his ill mother after the second Test in Delhi.
Cummins had flown back home to attend his ill mother after Australia’s six-wicket defeat in the second Test in Delhi. He was supposed to return before the third Test but decided to stay back with his family in this difficult time.
In his absence, vice-captain Steve Smith led Australia in Indore, where they registered a nine-wicket victory and sealed a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Australia head 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."
Indore Test was the third instance of Steve Smith leading the Test side since his reinstatement as vice-captain in 2021. However, he has no ambition to return as full-time captain.
"My time is done. It's Pat's team now," Smith said after leading Australia to a brilliant win in Indore inside three days.
"I've obviously been able to stand in this week, obviously in tough circumstances with Patty going home. Our thoughts are still with him back home," he added.
"But India is a part of the world I love captaining ... it's probably my favourite place in the world to captain."
The fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is due to get underway on March 9.
(With Reuters Inputs)