Saw Virat Kohli only in the Asia Cup, think he scored a hundred, reveals Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins has stated he did not watch any of the recently concluded Asia Cup despite being slated to face India for three T20Is, although he did seem to have heard of Sri Lanka's triumph and Virat Kohli's antics. Cummins went on to talk about Tim David, Aaron Finch, and Indian playing conditions.
After a disastrous Asia Cup campaign for India, the Men in Blue are scheduled to face reigning T20 World Champions Australia at home for three T20Is in preparation for the World T20. A silver lining they must have taken away from the tournament in the United Arab Emirates is the performances Virat Kohli put in, scoring at an average of 92 including a blistering ton against Afghanistan in the last game. Australian Test skipper and a key member of the T20 setup Pat Cummins admitted he could not catch any Asia Cup action but was aware of the major headlines.
"To be totally frank, I didn't see any of that tournament. I think Sri Lanka won? Honestly, I didn't see any of it. I saw Virat Kohli, I think he scored a hundred, yeah he's a class player, he was always going to return to form at some point in time. He's going to be a challenge this next week," he said in a press conference to NDTV.
Even though the World T20 next month is in Australia, the upcoming battles in India will be a completely different challenge.
"I think a lot of games in India are played at a different pace as compared to Australia, the boundaries are normally a bit smaller. I think you need to adapt really quickly, you will have some days where the wicket is a bit slower, then cutters and those type of things are really important for the bowlers. So, everyone here has played a lot in India and everyone understands it. It is a format, you have to be up for, and if does not work on the day, then you need to move on quickly from it," Cummins added.
A major attraction of the series will be Singapore-born Tim David who has been included in the Australian squad for the first time ever and is all set to participate in the World Cup as well. The all-rounder has made a name for himself in franchise cricket with his explosive hitting and may be the perfect replacement for injured Marcus Stoinis.
"Great to see David get his chance. He has been right up there with the best in the world, batting in the middle-order of T20 cricket is a really tough spot to bat. You see most of the run-scorers are opening the batting or batting in the top-order. It is hard to be consistent when there are spin bowlers bowling and he has been fantastic. If he gets his chance, hopefully, he can continue doing what he has been doing in the domestic T20 league. I think he is an X-factor. Goes about it slightly differently so look forward to it," Cummins said of him.
The team will be led by Aaron Finch, who recently retired from ODIs. The veteran has struggled for form but continues to retain the faith of his teammates.
"Just the normal Aaron Finch, he has been great. Had a bit of a chat with him, he said he's in a good space. Even in the ODIs, he knew it was a time in his own mind. He seems fantastic, it was only 12 months ago that he led us to a T20 World Cup victory so he is raring to go, and he will be a key player as he always is," Cummins concluded.