‘We have to keep Pant calm’: Pat Cummins

New Delhi| Australia captain Pat Cummins is worried about India’s star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant’s ability to handle the game and said his team needs to keep the 26-year-old batsman calm in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The upcoming five-match Test series between India and Australia will begin on November 22. In this series, India and Australia will play in Perth, Adelaide (pink ball match), Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney from November 22 to January 7, 2025.

India were able to retain the title in the last four consecutive Border-Gavaskar Trophy, including their famous series wins in 2018-19 and 2020-21, where Pant scored a brilliant 89 not out at the Gabba and won a resounding victory, ending Australia’s 32-year undefeated streak in their stronghold.

After a long wait of 637 days due to a fatal car accident in December 2022, Pant made a brilliant comeback to Test cricket against Bangladesh, scoring 109 in the second innings, helping India to a 280-run win in Chennai.

Cummins said on Star Sports, “Look, I think every team has one or two players who can take the game forward. You know, we have players like Travis Head and Mitch Marsh. I think with these players, you know they’re going to be aggressive. If you miss even a little in your area, they will take over the game. A player like Rishabh, he can play reverse lap and it’s an incredible shot and it’s part of his personality.”

“I think we’re a little bit more used to it these days when some ridiculous shots have become a little bit more common”, he said. He is a player who has made a big impact on some series and we have to try to keep him calm.

India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia the last two times, in 2018/19 and 2020/21. In addition, Australia have not won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series since 2014-15, when they won 2-0 on home soil.