Australian Test captain Pat Cummins has stated that the coming months will be a true test of his leadership abilities. The right-handed sprinter believes he could go from the captain of the best Australian team to the captain of the worst.
Australia’s 2023 schedule is demanding, beginning with a four-Test tour of India in February and an away Ashes series in June. They haven’t won a Test series in India since 2004, and their last triumph in England was in 2001.
Pat Cummins told The Age ahead of his upcoming India tour: “I could go from being captain of the best Aussie team to the worst. These are the biggest 10 Tests you’ll ever play in your career, and we’re doing it in the next four months.”
The 29-year-old recalled how he initially doubted his suitability for captaincy because of the following concerns:
“I hate this. I think I’ve made a mistake. That first spell was terrible. I didn’t bowl particularly well. My mind was worried about field placements and other things. Then I bowled another spell, and I was fine. But it made me understand why other people thought I shouldn’t take the captaincy on.”
Pat Cummins led Australia are ready to take on India
In response to Steve Waugh’s advice to let the bowlers control the field settings, the New South Wales speedster stated that he has made numerous changes to keep things simple. He went on to say:
“He (Waugh) said to get out of the way and let the bowlers shine. I asked when to make big fielding changes, and he said the bowlers know what fields they want most of the time. If you don’t give it to them, they get angry anyway. I’m just trying to keep things simple.”
“Over the last 12 months, I’ve stripped away some of the things that have been done in the past, just for the sake of being done. Extra meetings, extra training sessions.”
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