‘No one is going over there blind’: Cummins says Australia primed for success in India

‘No one is going over there blind’: Cummins says Australia primed for success in India

Captain Pat Cummins feels Australia are “as good a chance as we’re ever going to be” to pull off a historic Test series win in India after another glorious unbeaten home summer.

After one of the most underwhelming Test summers in recent memory, in terms of terrible performances from visiting sides, attention has quickly turned to a fascinating Australian tour of India starting next month.

Australia’s stars will have a month away from red ball cricket before beginning the most difficult assignment in world cricket: beating India in India.

With 3pm AEDT starts, the four India fixtures are in prime time for Australian audiences and loom as the biggest test for this ever-improving side since the 2019 Ashes in the UK.

Australia’s last series win in India came in 2004 under fill-in captain Adam Gilchrist. The last series triumph before that came in 1969 when Bill Lawry was Test skipper.

“I think we’re as good a chance as we’re ever going to be,” Cummins told reporters after the third Test against South Africa ended in a draw. “It was another fantastic summer. I feel like we’re adapting really well. Having the experience of Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year has put us in really good stead for India.

Australia celebrate their 2-0 series victory over South Africa. Credit:Getty

“No one is going over there blind. We’ll use the next few weeks to reflect on the next 12 months and then get over there really refreshed and eager.”

Of all Australian venues, this SCG pitch was the most similar to what Cummins’ men will face on their first Test tour to India since 2017.

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Of course, Australian and Indian conditions are vastly different, but orthodox spinner Ashton Agar certainly didn’t shoot the lights out as the team’s second spinner.

Agar had match figures of 0-58 off 22 overs in Sydney, in comparison to Lyon who finished with 2-120 off 55 overs. Between them, they averaged 89 with the ball.

Agar, one of four frontline bowlers for this match, only bowled 13 per cent of Australia’s first innings overs (14 of 108).

It’s hardly the kind of performance that will fill Agar with confidence in his first Test since 2017 but Cummins assured he’d be on the plane to India. Australia name their squad this week.

“A left-arm orthodox, he’ll absolutely be there,” Cummins said. “It wasn’t an audition at all. I thought he did really well. There was 800 runs and three wickets for spin during the game. It wasn’t easy for him but I thought he did his role well.”

Ashton Agar at the SCG. Credit:AP

Analysing Australia’s decision to select two frontline spinners for this match is complicated by the fact that more than 170 overs were lost due to bad weather.

Agar and Lyon did bowl on day five but in truth it was more like a day-three pitch. The pitch in Nagpur, the venue of the first Test, could take more turn on the first day of the Test.

Australia, who took six of the 14 wickets they needed on the last day, were robbed of a valuable chance of bowling on a proper day five pitch.

“The wicket probably didn’t play exactly as we would have thought,” Cummins said. “Hoping it would have broken up a bit more, spun a bit more. It probably wasn’t a classic India wicket we would have expected.”

On the injury front, Australia have escaped Sydney with any fresh issues. With Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green (both finger injuries) still “touch and go” for the first Test, any extra niggles would have been far from ideal.

“Starcy is all on track,” Cummins said. “He’s just got his finger in the splint for whatever it is, four or five weeks. Then hopefully he can get back up and bowling pretty quickly. I think he’ll struggle for the first Test over there … but hoping Test number two or three is realistic.”

A lot can happen in the next month though, with nine of Australia’s XI from this match set to feature for their Big Bash franchises.

Steve Smith and David Warner will return to the domestic T20 scene, while Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are the only two players who will completely rest up given they opted not to sign BBL contracts.

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