Published 16:17 IST, December 11th 2020
Pat Cummins plays mind games with Kohli, says he is happy of not 'bowling to Steve Smith'
Australian pacer Pat Cummins has said that he is happy about not having to bowl to Steve Smith when asked about his preparedness to take on Virat Kohli
It seems that Australian pacer Pat Cummins is fresh and ready to take on the Indian skipper Virat Kohli in the first Test that will be played at the Adelaide Oval on December 17. The opening Test match will be played under lights. Cummins was rested after the first two ODIs against India. He did not feature in Australia's 1-2 loss in the recently-concluded T20I series either.
Nonetheless, the 2015 World Cup winner might have already started his pre-match mind games before his big battle against the second-ranked Test batsman who has been compared with Cummins' countryman as well as the current top-ranked Test batsman Steve Smith.
'I'm happy I don't': Pat Cummins
The tall pacer will be making his return to red-ball cricket after almost a year and at the same time, he has also talked about his battle with the Indian skipper in the upcoming contest.
"I hadn't played a red-ball game for about seven or eight months. I think the good thing this time around is we have an eight or nine-day lead-in. Today we have a center-wicket so I'll probably go out there and bowl eight overs or so simulating a Sheffield Shield match," he added.
When asked about his preparedness to take on one of the great batsmen of all time in Virat Kohli, he said, "I'm happy I don't have to bowl to Steve Smith. I saw Kane Williamson's double hundred last week. So, I'm pretty glad I'm not playing there (in New Zealand) as well."
"I think when you are in the moment, you try and maybe lift (the rivalry with the opposition batsman) a little bit. You sense it at the wicket when someone walks out there," he added.
Virat Kohli looks to sign off on a high
While Steven Smith will be available for the entire series, Kohli will only be making a solitary Test appearance after which he will be heading back to India to be with his better half Anushka Sharma as the couple is expecting their first child in January. The batting megastar has been granted paternity leave by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Meanwhile, 'Captain Fearless' who has not hit a single century this will be hoping to make amends in the D/N Test and sign off on a high by breaching the three-figure mark this time around.
India look to snap Australia's winning streak in pink-ball Test
The odds are against India heading into the Adelaide Test and they will need to play out of their skins in order to come out on top and rewrite history. Kohli & Co. have their task cut out come December 17 as the Aussies have not lost a single D/N Test match ever since their first contest against New Zealand back in November 2015.
The top-ranked Test side have since gone on to win all the five matches that have been played under lights at home.
(With ANI Inputs)
Updated 16:17 IST, December 11th 2020