Australia captain Pat Cummins said he’s optimistic about his side’s performance in Indian conditions as the team tries to reclaim the ODI World Cup crown, adding to its record-breaking five titles.
“The preparations have been really good. We had five ODIs in South Africa, three against India, and the warm-up games. It feels like we’ve got plenty of game time coming into the World Cup,” Cummins said during a sponsored event on Thursday.
Cummins also touched upon whether playing an ODI series against the host and having players who have plenty of IPL experience negates India’s home advantage.
“Maybe a little bit. But it’s pretty similar for most teams. Almost all of us have played a lot of games here in India, either for the country or in the IPL. Playing at home with the crowd’s support and familiar pitches does have its advantages but these aren’t totally foreign conditions for us as well,” he added.
However, not everything is going right for the Aussies.
They will not have the services of Travis Head, ruled out with an injury for at least three weeks into the World Cup, leaving the side with a 14-man squad for the initial fixtures.
“Yeah, it’s not ideal. But we feel really confident with the 14 that we have. We know that Head can come back a little bit later in the tournament. And if anything happens, we can always sub in another guy.”
Cummins’ men will also have to tackle the absence of a second specialist spinner behind Adam Zampa, after replacing injured left-arm spinner Ashton Agar with Marnus Labuschagne. “It’s unfortunate that Ashton misses out. But we have the off-spin of Glenn Maxwell, and he is good enough to bowl 10 overs,” the 30-year-old remarked.
With injuries to take care of and a hectic schedule, Cummins said that his side is focused on managing the players’ workload during the World Cup
“There are nine round matches and we want to make sure we’re absolutely peaking for those games. So, our training sessions won’t be long. You’ll see some days off where the boys will just recover.”
When asked about Australia playing India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan in its first four games in 12 days, Cummins said, “You’ve got to be on your game right from the start. There’s no easy way to win the tournament. We’re going to have to play them at some point, and we know that if we start off well with a couple of wins against these sides, it’s going to show that we are on the right track.”
Cummins also mentioned how Australia is preparing for India’s spin attack in Chepauk, especially Ravichandran Ashwin, with the two teams playing in Chennai on October 8. “It starts with the training. You will see the guys play a lot of spin. Our batters have faced these bowlers before, and everyone will have their own plans.”
“Dew will also play a part. I think it depends on each venue. It’s a bit more prominent in T20s because there you start the second innings when it’s already dewy and the ball gets wet while it’s still hard.”
“We are really confident coming into the India match. We had a good win in our third ODI, playing a side that is probably a bit closer to our strongest XI,” he added.
Cummins also praised David Warner (left), who will be, most likely, donning the Australia colours for the final time in a World Cup. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
On a personal note, Cummins also talked about the new perspectives he can bring as a ‘rare’ bowling captain. “The benefit is that we have a better feel of what’s going on out there on the field as we have to bowl the overs while setting the field for the other bowlers.”
He added an ode to David Warner, who will be, most likely, donning the Australia colours for the final time in a World Cup.
“David’s been fantastic the last month, particularly in white-ball cricket. Not only has he scored plenty of runs, but he’s really aggressive, taking the game on. I’m expecting great things from Davy. He is Mr Consistent and I’m loving the way he is going about his business.”
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