Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has batted for Pat Cummins’ appointment as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season.
Cummins was signed by SRH for a hefty sum of INR 20.50 Crore during the auction last December, making him one of the costliest purchases in IPL history.
Gavaskar highlighted Cummins' leadership qualities, which he believes the Sunrisers were missing in the previous season of IPL.
Notably, Pat Cummins led Australia to the World Test Championship (WTC) title and the Cricket World Cup triumph last year.
"I think Pat Cummins was a smart buy, maybe a little over-expensive. Smart buy because he will bring the leadership aspect to their team, which was lacking the last time around," said Gavaskar while speaking on Star Sports.
The Indian legend is "pretty certain" that Cummins will take over as SRH captain, bringing a significant change to the team's dynamics.
"Last time around, some of the bowling changes that we saw in crucial games were just head-scratching, and that cost them matches. So now with Pat Cummins coming in, I am pretty certain that he will be the captain of the team and that will make a huge difference," he added.
During the IPL 2024 auction, Australian batter Travis Head was another notable addition to the SRH squad. The southpaw was roped in for INR 6.80 Crore.
Head had a great time while playing for Australia across formats last season. He was the Player-of-the-Match in Australia’s WTC final triumph as well as the World Cup semi-final and final wins.
Gavaskar identified Travis Head as a perfect fit for the opening slot, predicting an electrifying partnership with either Mayank Agarwal or Rahul Tripathi.
"Travis Head is the kind of batter who can take the game away from you. He did that in the World Cup finals. He is just the ideal No. 1 in a 20-overs game for the Sunrisers Hyderabad."
"So, he and whoever opens with him, whether it's Mayank Agarwal or whether it's Rahul Tripathi, who started as an opener and then went in the middle, if he comes in the opening slot again, then it will be entertaining batting for sure," Gavaskar stated.
(With IANS Inputs)
