Australia Test captain Pat Cummins said that he was focused on Rishabh Pant ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Rishabh Pant made a sensational Test comeback against Bangladesh and is expected to be crucial in India’s success Down Under. Pat Cummins said that keeping Rishabh Pant quiet would be important for Australia as they chase their first Test series win against India since 2014/15.
Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has revealed that his focus is on Rishabh Pant ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Speaking to Star Sports ahead of the 5-match Test series, Pat Cummins said that Rishabh Pant was one of the players who had the ability to take the game on and that’s why Australia needed to be wary of the batter.
Rishabh Pant’s incredible record in Australia
Rishabh Pant was integral to India’s cause in their back-to-back series wins in Australia on their last two tours to the country. He has scored 624 runs in seven Tests that he played in Australia with one century and two half-centuries. Rishabh Pant averages 62.40 in Australia and notably has a strike rate of 72.13.
He was the second-highest run scorer for India in their series win in 2018/19, which marked the first time an Asian team had beaten Australia in a Test series at their home. However, he is better remembered for his heroics in the 2020/21 series. Rishabh Pant had gone into the tour with his place in the side on shaky grounds.
He ended up being India’s highest run scorer, and his most notable knock was a stunning 89 not out off 138 balls in the last Test which led India to victory chasing 328 runs. It marked the first time in over three decades that a team had beaten Australia in a Test match at the Gabba.
Pat Cummins said that keeping Pant quiet would be important for Australia as they chase their first Test series win against India since 2014/15
Pat Cummins wary of Rishabh Pant ahead of IND vs AUS 2024-25 Test series
Australian captain Pat Cummins has admitted that they must find a way to keep Rishabh Pant quiet during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series later this year. The New South Wales speedster suggested that the keeper-batter is the game-changer in India’s ranks and is capable of influencing matches their way at any stage.
Pant returned to India’s Test team in the recent game against Bangladesh in Chennai, playing his first since December 2022. The 26-year-old played an instrumental role in India’s consecutive Test series Down Under, averaging 62.40 in 12 innings with 624 runs against Australia.
Speaking to Star Sports, Cummins called Pant India’s equivalent for Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head as the duo can take the game on by being aggressive. The 31-year-old observed that they must neutralize the Indian keeper-batter’s impact in the forthcoming series, given his influence on the last two occasions.
Cummins said:
“Look, I think every team has one or two of those players who can take the game on. We have Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh. I think with those guys, you know they’re going to be aggressive. You miss your area a little bit and they can take the game on. Someone like Rishabh Pant might play a reverse lap and it’s an incredible shot.
“That’s just a part of who he is. We’ve become accustomed to it nowadays because some of those ridiculous shots are a bit more common. He is someone who has had a big influence on a couple of series. Got to try to keep him quiet.”
In his first Test back, Pant registered scores of 39 and 109 against Bangladesh as India won by a massive 280-run margin. Pat Cummins, who succeeded Tim Paine as the Test captain in 2021, will hope to see Australia hold the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since the 2014-15 series.
The right-arm paceman finished as the highest wicket-taker (21 scalps) from either side the last time India played the series in Australia.
The first of the five Tests begins on November 22 at the Optus Stadium in Perth.