India vs Australia: Cummins hoping for 'huge result'

Pat Cummins also had words of praise for Jasprit Bumrah - another fast bowler on top of his game.

Pat Cummins played a vital role in Australia's victory in the first T20I, first taking one for 19 from his four overs and then stunning India with his final-over batting heroics.

Fast bowler Pat Cummins believes that winning the two-match T20 series against India would be a "huge result" for Australia.

"It hasn't happened for a while, especially overseas, especially in a place like India, which is so foreign to Australian conditions," Cummins said ahead of the second T20 in Bengaluru.

"[Winning] against one of the best sides in the world would be a huge result for us. We thought we had the game sewn up (in Visakhapatnam) and like all the really good sides they just fought their way back. We know tomorrow night we have to play really well. They're going to come back. But to be one up in an away series -- we haven't been in this position for a while, so it's great."

Cummins played a vital role in Australia's victory in the first T20I, first taking one for 19 from his four overs and then stunning India with his final-over batting heroics. "Sometimes when you need a big over, like 14, you become quite relaxed, the pressure's off a bit," he said. "I knew that the outfield was really fast, so I wanted to try and hit the ball on the ground. A couple came off our bats, which was good, and we just ran hard and it worked out in the end."

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Cummins was asked how he had managed to hold his nerve in that last over. "Off the field, you're terribly nervous watching people go about their business, but once you're out in the field, you know you're in control,” he said.

“I'm more relaxed when I'm out there in the moment than I am off the field. Sometimes when the game feels like it's almost lost, that's when you feel like you can relax and you've got nothing to
lose.”

The batsmen may have had complaints but Cummins was delighted with the conditions in Visakhapatnam. “I love it. In T20s, you normally prepare for death bowling – yorkers, slower balls, outsmarting batsmen – whereas on a wicket like that, bowling good balls was going to be enough. The ball was swinging at the end and I loved it,” he said.

India will hope he does not find the M Chinnaswamy Stadium too much to his liking.

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Cummins had words of praise for Jasprit Bumrah, who brought India back into the game by taking two wickets in the 19th over in which he conceded just two runs.

“He is obviously a class act. Two of the basics he does really well is that he bowls fast and he bowls accurately. Anyone who does that in world cricket will pose a real challenge for the batsmen. He has got a great slower ball, seems to have a great cricketing brain, executes his skills really well,” Cummins said.

“He has done really well in all three formats and the one to watch out for", he added.