Australian skipper Pat Cummins made it clear on Wednesday that his side is unaffected by the pitch discussion at Nagpur ahead of the first test match which begins on February 9. Ian Healy started the controversy by saying the hosts will put the pitch in order. to fulfill their game plan and there were several reports claiming that India was trying to ‘doctor’ the field. Cummins said it will be challenging for the party as the terms will be “tailor-made” for India.
“These series always present different challenges on the field or off the field, and embracing them is what makes these tours so special. That’s part of the challenge of playing away. Home teams want to win at home. In Australia we are lucky that we normally have pace and resilience. Home game advantage, I don’t mind. It’s a different challenge and makes touring here even more difficult when you know the conditions are tailor-made for them,” said Cummins.
Australian cricket teams have not won a Test series in India for the last 19 years, but current skipper Pat Cummins would tell anyone who will listen that his unit does not carry the baggage of victories and defeats of its predecessors.
As Cummins leads Australia to one of its toughest assignments in India, the skipper also underlined the importance of a good first innings score, which will be crucial in the context of the series.
“No, this team is very different from many of the teams that have played here in the past. So we don’t carry the wins, we don’t carry the losses,” Cummins told reporters when asked if past results would weigh heavy in his mind.
“We know it’s hard to tour here, India is a really good cricket team, especially at home, so we’re excited. And yes, we’ll do our best,” added Cummins.
When asked about first innings totals, the world’s top speedster said: “Yeah, I think it’s more important here than anywhere else in the world, that the first innings lead, hopefully. You just have to find a way to get a big total on the board especially thinking if it’s going to spin it’s going to be really tough in that second innings “Rough will be off the stump of lefties”
The Australian media has already started a fuss over “engineered pitches” with an article in the Sydney Morning Herald predicting the nature of the wicket even before a ball has been bowled on the course of the VCA stadium.
However, Cummins put things in perspective by saying its lineup was full of left-handers and had prompted curators to dry up areas where India’s right-handed welders will create rough spots for the guest spinners to exploit.
“Potentially, yes. Looking a little dry for the left-handers and knowing how much traffic is likely to go through the right-arm bowlers, it could be quite a bit rough there,” said Cummins.
But unlike the media in his country, Cummins wants to rise to the challenge.
“Again, that’s something we just have to embrace. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be challenging at times, but our hitters will enjoy the chance to solve problems, and quite a few of them will take their chances to do that. ” However, Cummins would not predict a score in the first innings.
“You have to hit big in the first innings. It might not be the same for every venue. In some venues 250 might be a good score, there might be other venues where you might need 500. Reading the wicket can be a bit difficult at times, But you have to be prepared for anything.” Lyon will bowl a lot of overs
(with PTI inputs)
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