Former India cricketer and commentator Laxman Sivaramakrishnan believes that Australia’s new Test captain, Pat Cummins, is very fortunate to get the honor of leading his country.
But Sivaramakrishnan also said the pacer will have to do a lot of homework and manage his workload to become a successful leader.
Cummins became Australia's first-ever pacer to be appointed as full-time captain in their 144-year Test history after he replaced Tim Paine following his resignation over a sexting scandal.
His captaincy stint will start with the all-important Ashes 2021-22 series against England, starting on December 8.
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Ahead of the first Test in Brisbane, Sivaramakrishnan, who is part of the Tamil commentary panel for the upcoming Ashes 2021-22 series, said that Cummins needs to work hard on his basics and his deputy, Steve Smith, will certainly be a big help for the new Test skipper.
Sivaramakrishnan told NDTV during a media interaction organized by Sony Sports Network: “You want bowlers as captains. They are a rare breed. Not too many bowlers get the honor of captaining their country. But Pat Cummins will have to do a lot of homework.
He's got a very good deputy in Steve Smith although there has been some controversy over him with what happened in South Africa, Steve Smith will certainly help him.”
The former India spinner also pointed out that Cummins played under different captains so far in his career and that he should take a leaf out of each of them to ease his job as captain.
He added, “Pat Cummins, having played under different captains, would know how long a spell he bowls in a Test match. If he has marked it down or taken a note then it will really help him, he can follow that system.”
Sivaramakrishnan signed off by saying, “It's going to be summer in Australia so we might see him bowling short but effective spells, that's the most important thing. He's also got to keep a tab of his record against certain players. He will have to identify the batters and probably try to bring himself into the attack when they are at the crease. He has to plan very well so a lot of homework needs to be done to be able to manage his workload and also become a successful captain.”
