Cummins bowled just 13 overs in the first innings while he didn’t bowl at all in India’s second essay.
Amid the struggles, batting legend Allan Border has come down heavily at Pat Cummins, saying that the latter has a lot to worry about as the series against India was his “first real test as captain”.
Border also pointed out that Cummins under-bowled himself in the second Test in Delhi. The Australian skipper was the sole quick in the playing XI in Delhi and he bowled just 13 overs in the first innings while he didn’t bowl at all in India’s second essay.
“To me, the fast bowler, it’s always fraught with danger,” Border told SEN Radio.
“I thought Pat grossly under-bowled himself in that Test match.
“There were opportunities when things were starting to go stray, particularly in the Indian first innings when we had them on the ropes and they formed a good partnership, a couple of blasts from him running in and bowling some short stuff for two or three overs….”
In reply to Australia’s first innings total of 263, the hosts were reeling at 139/7 in Delhi before all-round duo of Akshar Patel (74) and R Ashwin (37) forged a 114-run partnership to take the team’s total to 262.
“There are other guys out on the field I suppose who could go to the captain and say, ‘mate, why don’t you have a bowl’?” Border said. “But I just thought this is Pat’s first real test as a captain, the rest has been plain sailing, you go to the sub-continent and all of a sudden you get tested out in all sorts of areas.”
“He’s worried about lots of different things, he forgot about himself bowling I think. That’s what can happen in those situations when your premier fast bowler is your captain.”
However, Border also expressed sympathy towards Pat Cummins.
“There is a lot going on, even if you’re the captain in those situations and you’re a batter. People don’t really appreciate how tough it is, it’s a really different place to play the game in the sub-continent, he explained. You’ve got to have your wits about you, that’s for sure when it’s not going right and it’s going south, it goes south very quickly.”
Pat Cummins has flown back home due to a “serious family illness” following the second Test. He is expected to re-join the squad ahead of the third Test, scheduled to be held in Indore from March 1.
(With PTI Inputs)