Cummins is expecting that Glenn Maxwell would be Australia’s big player at the CWC 2023.
Ahead of the big clash against India in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Australian captain Pat Cummins admitted that countering Team India’s spin attack would be really challenging for his batters at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8.
Team India is likely to pick three spinners, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and R Ashwin, for their opening Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Australia in Chepauk, which is expected to offer plenty of turn and grip to the spinners, and Cummins is well aware of the challenges.
However, Cummins said that Australian players experience playing against Indian spinners in the past and in the IPL would help them in the CWC 2023 match against the Men in Blue in Chennai.
Pat Cummins said in the pre-match press conference in Chennai: “They're a good bowling line-up, especially in home conditions. So, they're going to be challenging. The good thing is that we've played them a lot. So, our batters will have their own plans. We've had success against them a few times. They've bowled well against us a few times as well.”
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He continued, “It's a ground (MA Chidambaram) we've played quite often. It feels like whenever we tour India, there seems to be a game here. A few of the guys have played for CSK as well, or you know, a fair bit here for IPL. So, it may serve us well.”
Meanwhile, the Australian skipper cheekily said he's not sure whether David Warner would play as a right-hander in their first CWC 2023 match after he did the same against Ashwin in the second ODI at Rajkot. He added, “Yeah, Davey, we'll see if he bats right-handed or left-handed. Yeah, he's probably better left-handed, I reckon, but we'll see how he goes.”
Meanwhile, Cummins is expecting that the all-rounder Glenn Maxwell would be Australia’s big player in the tournament in India. He said, “We've seen Max, he's a front-line spin bowler. In the 2015 World Cup, he was the sole spinner in basically every single match.”
He added, “I thought he bowed really well in that third ODI against India. So, yeah, we've got 20 overs of spin out there if we need it. He's got an amazing knack of if he misses out with the bat, he contributes with the ball and vice-versa. No doubt, expecting a big tournament from Maxi.”
Cummins admitted that India is the hot favorite to win the World Cup 2023 and the match as well, but he said that the match in Chennai would be amazing for the fans.
He signed off by saying, “In the home conditions you'd imagine, they're probably tournament favourites. So yeah, if we win tomorrow that's awesome, if not, well, we know where we stand and maybe we need to change a few things. It should be a cracker.”
(With PTI Inputs)