Pat Cummins is “amazed” at the gesture made for his sick mother by the English Barmy Army.

Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia, said last week that he will not be traveling to India for the third Test match against the hosts, which will begin on March 1 in Indore. After India won the second Test, Cummins, who had traveled to Sydney, announced that his mother, Maria, had started receiving terminal care. Since then, passionate sentiments for Cummins and his mother have deluged social media. A touching rendition of the West Side Story song “Maria” was played in support of Cummins’ mother Maria in a video that England’s Barmy Army posted on Saturday.

Cummins has now responded to the post shared by the Barmy Army, saying: “This is amazing @TheBarmyArmy, thankyou. Mum loved watching this and felt very touched.”

This is amazing @TheBarmyArmy, thankyou. Mum loved watching this and felt very touched https://t.co/A1iwnJSUYn

— Pat Cummins (@patcummins30) February 27, 2023

India, who has previously won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, leads Australia 0-2 in the four-match series. Vice-captain Steve Smith is poised to take the team’s reins in Cummins’ absence for the third Test. But, the potential comeback of all-rounder Cameron Green and top bowler Mitchel Starc might help Australia.

Smith will be in charge of the Test team for the third time after being reinstated as vice-captain in 2021. After taking over as captain of the Test team, Smith has skippered two matches that Cummins was unable to. When Australia’s last tour to India occurred in 2017, the 33-year-old was serving as captain. The series had been lost by the visitors 2-1. After the second Test, Smith spent four days in Dubai with his wife Dani before rejoining the Australia team on Thursday night in Delhi.