Pink ball zips around more, captains have to manage tactics: Pat Cummins

By
Sneha Roy
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Adelaide: Australian pacer Pat Cummins observed the series opener against India will test the tactical cleverness of the captains as day-night Test matches move at a ‘slightly different pace’ with the pink ball sweeping around a bit more under lights.

With the limited-overs series being claimed one apiece (Australia won the ODIs, India grabbed the T20I title), it’s now time for the ultimate battle. The two teams will lock horns in Adelaide on December 17 for the first of four intense Test matches to cap off the tour.

The first match is going to be a day-night affair, and there’s already a lot of buzz around the pink ball, the potential XIs, and the series predictions ahead of the big game.

Cummins, who played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, said there is always a sense of excitement when they approach a pink-ball Test. “… we are just a little bit, won’t say nervous but excited, knowing that the game moves at a slightly different pace to a normal Test match. You can have some sessions under the lights where the balls just zip around,” Cummins told kkr.in.

“After dinner, when the light takes effect, just for whatever reason it seems like the ball zips around a bit more. You can have some periods in a Test match a bit like a one-dayer, where the ball doesn’t swing, doesn’t seam and all of a sudden out of nowhere, it starts zipping around under the lights.”

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“It’s just another dynamic of the game. It’s a tactic that the captains have to manage — when to bat and when to bowl,” Cummins said.

In 2018-19, India had registered their first-ever Test series win on Australian land. But in that series, the home side didn’t have two of their top batsmen David Warner and Steve Smith, as they were serving their ball-tampering bans.

Cummins said with the duo back in the squad, it will hold them in good stead in the series. “We like to pride ourselves in winning all our home series. So yeah, definitely been looking forward to this one for a couple of years now. India had a better side than us a couple of years ago … even though we shared patches I think overall, we were outplayed by them in that series,” he said.

“David and Smith coming back into the side, they are two of the best batters in the world, so of course it helps. We’ve also got a couple of younger guys who have now become really mature players like Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne etc. so that’s a big help.”

Young India batsman Shubman Gill, who is in dispute for the opening Test, was Cummins’ teammate at KKR. Asked whether he had been studying him at the nets during the IPL, Cummins bantered: “I haven’t really. Maybe I should have, might be too late now.”

“I think every time India comes to Australia, there is a story of one or two young guys who kind of make a name for themselves in our Aussie conditions. Yeah Shubi (Shubman) is obviously a class player, and it will be interesting to see if he gets picked for India. (If he does) there might even be some friendly banter out on the field between the two of us.”

Australia have won each of their four day-night Test matches so far – vs New Zealand, South Africa, England and Pakistan. India have played just one Pink-Ball Test to date, winning it convincingly vs Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in November 2019.

Test Match Fixtures:

December 17-21: India vs Australia 1st Test at Adelaide Oval, 9:30 AM IST

December 26-30: India vs Australia 2nd Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), 9:30 AM IST

January 7-11: India vs Australia 3rd Test, Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), 9:30 AM IST

January 15-19: India vs Australia 4th Test at the Gabba in Brisbane, 9:30 AM IST

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