Despite the stumbling block at the ‘G, Pat Cummins has revealed that he’s pretty happy with the bowling efforts which created plenty of opportunities but insisted that there are things to work on. He also was not surprised India made the comeback at the iconic venue after the loss in Adelaide.
The absence of Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami combined with Australia’s record at the iconic MCG made the game tantalizing in Australia’s favour. However, the Kangaroos’ familiar foes – Joe Burns’ start, Steve Smith’s battle combined with the failure from the middle-order put them on the backfoot on Day 1 of the MCG Test. India meanwhile looked more than well prepared for the Test, pulling the right strings in the first innings.
With Ajinkya Rahane putting on a show with the bat, the hosts never looked like in the game, with their bowling tiring out. However, despite the defeat, Australian pacer Pat Cummins revealed that he is pretty happy with the opportunities created by the home bowling attack. While saying that, Cummins also opined that there are things to work on for the hosts if they have to end up with the right results.
“Our efforts and execution was really good. We created lots of chances, especially the first innings. To bowl a side out for 300 on the MCG, a really good wicket, and creating so many chances is a big tick. So, pretty happy from that regard (but) there are things to work on,” Cummins told reporters in the post-match press conference, reported TOI.
“Rahane batted beautifully, so look at what we could have done differently and review that. Overall it was a good performance from the quicks and Lyona (Nathon Lyon),” he added.
In terms of the visitors, Cummins wasn’t entirely surprised by the Indian comeback, stating that they came back really hard after the loss.
“Any side, once they have a big loss, you know they are going to come back little-bit harder. Everyone’s incredibly proud when you are playing at this level, so no real surprise that they (India) came out really hard,” Cummins said.
“Shuby (Gill) looked good in his first Test. He is quite a calm character. Looks like, similar way he wants to play, wants to take the game on, which as a bowler provides opportunities, some days it will come off, some days it won’t,” he added.
While the Sydney Test looked in doubt, owing to the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the city, Cricket Australia, on Tuesday, confirmed that there would be no changes to the itinerary with SCG hosting the third Test that starts in 2021.
“Happy to get back to the SCG. Really special Test match here and our record there is really good. In terms of pitch, it is probably closer to the MCG than other wickets, in terms of, it is normally quite dry and a little-bit slow,” he concluded.