"Going to get a bit of everything": Test captain Pat Cummins contemplates Australia pitches ahead of BGT series
Oct 11, 2024
New Delhi [India], October 11 : Test captain Pat Cummins is expecting Australian pitches to offer opportunities to the batters to cash in on a "couple of days" in the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against India.
Australian pitches are well famed for their nature to assist pacers by offering swing, and unexpected bounce in the opening days of a Test match.
With the BGT series set to commence next month, fans have already started to ponder on the Indian quicks who should be considered in the squad.
With five Tests set to be played across different venues, Cummins expects the pitch to maintain a balance for both batters and bowlers throughout the series.
"I think they've changed quite a bit the wickets, probably in the last four or five years. I think there is a little bit more in it for us bowlers. The first couple of series I played in 2017, 2018, and 2019, they were pretty flat in most venues, whereas most venues now, I think, get the balance really well between bat and ball. I think, over the course of five test matches you're going to get a bit of everything," Cummins said on Star Sports.
Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney have been chosen as the five venues for the five Tests. All pitches have been a bowling paradise for the quicks who have the potential to extract everything that is on offer.
"You're going to get some that move really quickly, but also maybe a test match or two where it becomes attritional and it's a real grind. I think, sometimes where the bowlers are licking their lips when the conditions do it in their favour, but wouldn't be surprised if there's a couple of days where the batters can really cash in as well," he added.
In the upcoming BGT, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is likely to miss some part of the series due to personal reasons according to sources.
As per sources, it is not clear how many matches Rohit will miss during the series. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to issue a formal statement on Rohit's status for the series.
Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah have emerged as the two players who are being considered to be handed the captaincy in case Rohit misses out on a couple of games.
