Pat Cummins of Australia prepares to bowl during the first Test match against India
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A quiet optimism and a hint of irritation were evident as Pat Cummins spoke to the media at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday (December 5, 2024). The Australian captain confirmed one change in the playing eleven with Scott Boland stepping in for an injured Josh Hazlewood.
Stressing that he and his men were in a good space ahead of the second Test, the host skipper said: “Look, the team is great, we have prepared like we always do and there is a great feeling around the team.”
When a question veered towards thoughts about Virat Kohli’s ton and what it means, Cummins paused and said: “Honestly, I don’t have too many thoughts on that, sorry.” He then turned expansive about Marnus Labuschagne’s preparation: “He is training well like he always does, hitting millions of balls. He is trying to plan about how he is going to score a 100 in this Test.”
Trailing 0-1, Cummins admitted to some pressure: “At any Test there is pressure, and when you are down there is a little bit more, especially at home. But we have been in similar situations, whether World Cups or other series where you are in must-win kind of situations.”
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Asked about the external noise, Cummins had his riposte: “When things don’t go right there are enough commentators that will support you, but also some that will try and create some headlines. We try not to notice and just go about our things.”
The spearhead also welcomed Boland’s return: “As a captain, it is pretty awesome to have someone like Scotty come straight in, he can bowl a huge amount of overs, is super consistent, and has performed at this level.” As for the pink ball, Cummins added: “I don’t see a huge shift from red ball cricket to pink ball cricket.”
Importance of Border-Gavaskar series win
“For half of the (Australian) change room, we haven’t won the Border Gavaskar Trophy. It is one last thing to tick off for a lot of us. Almost every challenge that we faced in last few years, we have stepped up and done well,” Cummins spoke with a lot of determination on the eve of the second Test against India in Adelaide.
“I think we need to do that for another home summer and series. From two-three season thing, it has suddenly been a half a generation thing,” he added.
(With Inputs from PTI)
Published – December 05, 2024 12:54 pm IST
