Steve Smith will captain Australia in the second Test against West Indies at the Adelaide Oval as regular skipper Pat Cummins ran out of time to recover from an injury.

Cummins sustained a quad strain and couldn’t bowl in West Indies’ second innings during the opening Test at Perth, which the hosts won by 164 runs to take an unbeatable 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

The fast bowler’s injury paved the way for Smith to lead Australia for a second straight year in Adelaide. The star batter had to play the role of a captain after Cummins caught Covid-19 ahead of last year’s Adelaide Ashes Test against England.

"I don't think he (Cummins) was too far away (from playing) and he will continue to build this week," Smith said on the eve of the second Test against West Indies. "But with what is coming up, a big series against South Africa and then Tests in India, there is a lot of cricket.

"From a strategic point of view, to have the possibility of (Cummins) going down and putting the load through the other quicks having bowled some overs at the end of the Perth Test, it was a risky decision to continue going.

"I think we have made the right call and he will be fine to go for the next Test match I am sure," he added.

Meanwhile, Scott Boland has replaced Pat Cummins in the Australian side and he is expected to bowl in tandem with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Cameron Green.

"Being able to spend so much time with guys like Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc – once you become a bit closer mates with them, I feel like I am a bit more to open asking them questions at training and stuff like that," said Boland.

"They have been great for me, they have been pretty much an open book. If I have ever got a question, they have been happy to answer it. I met them a few times before the last summer but never really spent an extended amount of time with them. It is nice to be able to train alongside those guys who are obviously the best in the world."

(India Today inputs)