Pat Cummins Press Conference; IND vs AUS 3rd Test: Australian captain Pat Cummins has claimed to trouble the Indian batsmen with bouncers in the third Test match starting on Saturday. He used the same strategy in the second Test match in Adelaide also. Australian fast bowlers, especially Cummins, troubled the Indian batsmen with their sharp balls in both the innings during the Pink Ball Test. In this test match, Australia won by 10 wickets and leveled the five-match series 1-1.
Pant Cummins said in the press conference before the match
“Yes, potentially. It worked in the Adelaide Test. It’s always in your mind as a Plan B.” “If it’s really uncomfortable, you look at it and come up with Plan A. It worked in Adelaide, so I’m sure we’ll try it at some point (in the third Test),” he said. Cummins is also pleased with how the Australian batsmen accepted the unique challenge they faced after succumbing to the charismatic Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah in the first Test in Perth.
“Yes, that’s right. We are professional players, obviously, we will be ready for it. Players always enjoy who they have to face, no matter what the conditions are.” “Look, going to India and watching the spinning wickets. For a player like Steve Smith, he likes such a challenge, where it is really difficult to bat. He is always ready for it and excited for the next round,” he said.
‘Smith will be back in form soon’
Top batsman Steve Smith has not performed well in the series so far, but Cummins is confident that the former captain will soon return to his run-scoring style. “They are looking fantastic in the nets. They are looking really sharp, they look like they have a lot of time, they are doing all the right things as usual so, I am sure they will score. Obviously He’s a big leader in the group and he’s been fantastic, so really hopefully he gets a good result,” he said.
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh had suggested a more aggressive approach to dominate the Indian bowlers. But Cummins said that batting strategy depends on individual preferences. “Travis Head and Mitch are natural shot-makers and that’s the way they play. “For some of the other players, they probably look at it a little bit differently,” he explained. “Especially here at the Gabba, it’s different from day one to day two. And this may change by the third day. That’s why everyone has their own method. I think the most important thing is to play to your strengths. Trav did the same thing last week.”
Have found a way to make peace with the pressure of captaincy
Cummins admitted that there will always be some pressure on him as the team leader, but the 31-year-old said he has found a way to live with it. “I think there’s always pressure when you’re playing Test cricket. When you’re captain, a lot of it probably falls on you more than other players. It’s nothing new. “Of course, You just want to go out there and perform well. In terms of criticism, I think we did not give our best performance in Perth. Recalling the 295-run defeat in the opening match, he said, “My game was not very good.” “In some ways, any criticism, a lot of the criticisms are fair. Some of them are not. You know it’s not right, so you can dismiss some of them,” he said.
