Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Pat Cummins wary of Team India's Rishabh Pant
Australian cricket team captain Pat Cummins has voiced his concern over the possible danger Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant could pose, in the upcoming five-match Test series. The series, which will begin on November 22, is an important one for India as they look to win 4-1 to qualify for the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). Here's more.
Cummins praises Pant's game-changing abilities
Cummins has acknowledged Pant's game-changing abilities, and how he can turn the tide of a match in no time. "Yeah, he is someone who always moves the game on pretty quickly," Cummins told Hindustan Times. He added that they need sound strategies to counter Pant's threat. This isn't surprising considering Pant's phenomenal performance since he returned to Test cricket.
Pant's impressive record in Australia
Pant has been in phenomenal form since his Test-return, having scored 422 runs from five matches at an average of 46.88 and a strike rate of 86.47. He was also the highest run-scorer in their recent series against New Zealand with 261 runs from six innings. His record on Australian soil is equally impressive, averaging 62.40 after scoring 624 runs from 12 innings with one hundred and two scores above 80 (89* and 97).
Pant's rivalry with Lyon adds intrigue to series
The upcoming series promises to be especially interesting considering Pant's rivalry with Australia's premier spinner Nathan Lyon. Although Pant has been dismissed by Lyon five times in his career, he boasts a phenomenal average of 43.20 against him. This battle between the two players adds an additional element of intrigue to the upcoming matches.
Cummins discusses other key players and team strategy
Along with Pant, Cummins also spoke about other key players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah. He said their aim is to keep the Indian batters as quiet as possible. The Australian captain also spoke about team selection issues, especially the replacement for David Warner as opener. He said talks have been held with Steve Smith about going back down to No. 4 in the batting line-up.
