Australian ace quick Pat Cummins played down fears over his workload and fatigue ahead of the Test series against India, saying he is feeling fresh leading into the limited-overs leg of the summer after spending best part of three months inside bio-bubbles in UK and UAE.
Cummins, who had travel for Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) IPL 2020 campaign directly after the series against England, said there hasn't been a call taken with regards to whether he'll rest in some of the white-ball matches versus India, but he'll definitely be honest with the assessment of his body.
Read Also: Sean Abbott credits extensive training during lockdown days for Test call-up
"(I) haven't made a final decision on that yet," Cummins was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. "Obviously, (it’s) unprecedented times with so many people spending a large portion of time in these bubbles so we're going to keep all the conversations open, chat about that a bit closer to when we all get together."
"I wouldn't be surprised if there's times throughout the summer where some players might just need a little rest knowing not only how busy this next couple of months is but also a tour of South Africa (February-March) and a few away tours next year."
"There's always cricket on, so we'll make sure we're all open about that, having those conversations."
Cummins is currently in another isolation bubble upon return from IPL duties in Sydney and will be linking up with the rest of the Australian squad before facing India. While life within strict COVID-19 protocols can take a lot of mental toll, Cummins said he hasn't felt it as much because of lack of long-distance travelling.
"One of the benefits of being in a bubble in the UAE was we didn't spend much time traveling," he said. "A normal IPL we're on a flight every second day, different city, so I think sometimes that can be as draining as the playing part."
"No doubt as well, the six or seven months we had at home (during the winter) put us in a pretty good place leading into the England tour and IPL."
"Coming in fresh to those tours it doesn't feel like the end of the summer, it feels like I'm ready to start the tour and in a pretty good place."
Cummins also feels limited Test match preparations won't affect him as he has been busy playing consistent cricket. And on a different note said, if the Aussies can inflict some mental dent within the Indian camp in the ODIs and T20Is, it'll certainly help in the Test matches.
"If it happens I'll be happy," he said. "Hopefully the (pitch) conditions will be what we as Aussies are accustomed to."
"Hopefully they've got a bit more bounce and pace than you would a place like India so that home advantage might come into it," Cummins signed off.
