Australia captain Pat Cummins on Monday defended his struggling batting unit after former players including Adam Gilchrist raised the question of a potential batters and bowlers divide in the dressing room. Following one of their heaviest defeats at home, Pat Cummins was asked if there were any divisions in the team with batters letting the team down in Perth.
The chatter around possible tensions in the unit started when Josh Hazlewood was asked about Australia’s approach going into day four, having been reduced to 12 for three on day three chasing an improbable 534. Pat Cummins, however, has now come clean on the claims, stating that the unit is together and that the players “look after each other.”
Speculations of rift in the Australian dressing room amidst defeat vs India
Australia suffered a dismal 295-run defeat at the hands of India in the first Test in Perth, which was triggered immense criticism of the hosts. On Sunday, as Australia looked at a brink of defeat at the end of Day 3, there were suggestions of rift in the Australian team after Josh Hazlewood’s pointy remark in the press conference.
When Hazlewood was asked about Australia’s approach in the opening Test, he suggested the question should be asked to the batters; former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist wasn’t particularly pleased with the response. The Aussie great stated that it showed signs of potential “divide” between batters and bowlers in the dressing room.
Pat Cummins, however, has now come clean on the claims, stating that the unit is together and that the players “look after each other.” Australian skipper Pat Cummins has dismissed speculations of divide in the dressing room after the 295-run loss to India at Perth Stadium on November 25. Former cricketers-turned-commentators Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan speculated a division in the team after pacer Josh Hazlewood left it to batters as Australia struggled for 12/3 at the end of Day 3.
Pat Cummins addresses rift claims in Australian dressing room after 295-run humbling vs India
Australian captain Pat Cummins has strongly rejected the notion that the dressing room remains divided after a heavy defeat in the opening Test against India in Perth. The 31-year-old labeled themselves as a ‘tight unit’ and that being through a lot over the years has kept them together.
After Josh Hazlewood stated at the end of Day 3 that the responsibility of batting well remains with the batters, former England captain Michael Vaughan raised his eyebrows. Vaughan claimed that the statement suggested that the Aussie bowlers weren’t impressed by the batters’ show and that all the players must take the responsibility.
Speaking at a post-match presser, here’s what Pat Cummins said while responding to Vaughan’s statement, as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald:
“No not at all. There’s plenty of times where the batters have dragged us bowlers out of tight situations and we’ve done the same. So it’s a really tight unit, probably one of the tightest teams I’ve ever played with. We really enjoy playing cricket together, we’ve been through a lot over the last few years the core group, so no problems there, everyone gets along really well.”
Australia had lost the toss on Day 1 and started well by bowling Team India out for 150. However, they only managed to score 104, conceding a 46-run lead. Later, Yashaswi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli struck centuries to set Australia 534 to win. Although the hosts put on an improved show, it wasn’t enough to prevent a win.
Pat Cummins reflects on loss vs India
Pat Cummins admitted that it was tough to see the opposition declare on them, stating that they have got some work to do so they don’t find themselves in that position again. Pat Cummins elaborated:
“Not an ideal way to start the summer. You sit in the change room after a loss like that and it hurts. When a team declares on you it’s never an amazing feeling. We’ve all been in these situations before, it’s the nature of professional sport, you lose some games.
“The biggest challenge and the most important thing is how do you bounce back, what’s your next move. That’s what we need to do this week. We were clearly well off the mark, there’s a lot to work on, so the most important thing is there’s four Test matches to come.
“How do we make sure we aren’t in this position again? We didn’t give ourselves a chance in a few different facets. I think late on Day 1, if we had just got through that period of the game, it looks a little bit different on Day 2. Obviously, a couple of big partnerships [from India] when we were bowling [didn’t help].”
The next game of the five-match series will be a pink-ball Test that gets underway in Adelaide on December 6.Despite a 0-3 humbling at home at the hands of New Zealand, a Jasprit Bumrah-led Indian team showed great character, putting forth a dominant performance despite being bundled for 150 in the first innings in Perth.
Jasprit Bumrah was named the player of the match for his terrific showing across both innings; he picked a five-wicket haul, registering figures of 5/30 in 17 overs in the first, and followed it up with another three wickets in the second. Jasprit Bumrah also picked the all-important wicket of Head, which all but ensured an early Indian win. The win puts India on the path to secure a series hat-trick Down Under; India clinched 2-1 wins in their last two Test tours to Australia.