Before next series, we’ll need to spend a bit of time on Rishabh Pant: Pat Cummins

Australia fast-bowler Pat Cummins has opened up on how he felt when India promoted Rishabh Pant in the second innings of the Gabba Test last month. In the first innings of the fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Pant had come out to bat at number six after Mayank Agarwal. He, however, failed to score big and was out for just 23.

In the second innings, India sprung a surprise by promoting him ahead of Agarwal while chasing 328. Pant joined Cheteshwar Pujara at a precarious time as India had just lost the wicket of their skipper Ajinkya Rahane. Another wicket at that stage would have proved disastrous for Team India. In such a scenario, sending out Agarwal looked like the better decision.

The team-management, however, unfolded a surprise by sending out Pant to bat at number five. And the  move worked wonders as Pant mixed caution with aggression to keep India in hunt for an unlikely win. He eventually took the team over the line by playing a stunning unbeaten knock of 89. While wickets kept falling at crucial junctures at the other end, Pant held firm to power India to a famous series-clinching win.

Pat Cummins on Rishabh Pant’s promotion

Speaking about how he felt to see Rishabh Pant’s promotion, Pat Cummins said it was ‘kind of a flip of the coin’. The world number one Test bowler said that once Pant walked in and joined Pujara, the game started moving quickly. Cummins further opined that whenever a player like Pant comes out to bat, things become exciting not only for the batting team but also for the bowlers.

“It’s kind of a flip of the coin, because while Pujara was there, the game wasn’t moving too quickly, but you know once Rishabh walks in, it’s going to start moving quickly either way. It’s one of those exciting times, I find, where you hope it works in your favour, but if it doesn’t, it’s going to be a bit of fun for the next hour or so, either way,” Cummins said as quoted by The Cricket Monthly.

Cummins went on to praise Pant and hailed him as a class player who takes the game on. Cummins also dismissed suggestions that Pant bats carelessly. The right-arm pacer opined that Pant knows his game too well and finished by saying that Australia would have to set their plans for him ahead of the next series.

“He’s a class player, he takes the game on and to the outside it might look like it’s quite slapdash, but he knows his game really well, he knows when to attack and what his scoring areas are, so before next series we’ll need to spend a bit of time on that,” he added.