The second Test in Adelaide is the biggest match of Pat Cummins’ career as Australian captain.
He needs to take a leaf out of Indian stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah’s book in Perth and take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Australia have had to make a forced change with Josh Hazlewood out and that means Scott Boland has to play but Cummins needs to step up with Mitchell Starc to take the new ball.
Hazlewood was their best bowler in the first Test and Boland’s a very handy bowler to come in, particularly in day-night cricket, but it opens up an opportunity for Cummins.
He needs to do what Bumrah did as a captain in Perth. In Adelaide, particularly if you get it at night, but even during the day, that pink ball moves around.
There was plenty of talk about the Australian team’s light build-up to this series and I think Cummins was underdone going in without any Sheffield Shield games.
The lack of four-day cricket hurt him. Although he bowled 40 overs, he certainly wasn’t at his best.
Now that he’s got that workload under his belt, he can get the ball more consistently into that Cummins corridor of carnage, get early wickets and set the tone for the match.
In my generation, someone like Glenn McGrath felt like he got injured when he had time off. So he liked to keep bowling – that’s why he ended up going to county cricket as well. For the rest of us who did pick up injuries, you did need a bit of a rest there.
This current bowling group’s been doing it for a couple of years so they know their bodies well. But if I ever had a couple of weeks without a Shield game before a Test or vice versa, there was always that little bit of doubt of going, ‘geez, how am I going to get through this?’.
From what I saw of Cummins Perth, he was trying hard but he seemed short of a gallop. When all the fast bowlers talk about when they’re bowling well, they say they’ve got good rhythm.
But you can’t see rhythm, can you? And when you’re trying to search for it, it’s a nightmare.
Nathan McSweeney is dismissed lbw by Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
And because the Aussies got so behind the game in the second innings, he started to leak runs more than usual.
Now he’s got to have that confidence of a decent hit-out, the next level is how do I get back to that potent stock ball and get that economy rate down, which I think he could do from ball one. He’s one of the greatest fast bowlers we’ve ever produced.
In Perth he was probably about a 6 out of 10, whereas you always think Cummins is going to be 8 or 9 out of 10 virtually every match.
There were a few hairy moments on the Ashes tour last year but this is the biggest challenge he’s faced as captain. Australia haven’t come back from a 1-0 series deficit to win since the 1997 Ashes and that is the beauty of the World Test Championship, every match counts.
India looked like they were cooked coming into the series, losing 3-0 to New Zealand. But now the pressure is back on Australia to start winning in these next four matches and then the two-Test tour to Sri Lanka.
If they go 2-0 down, this series is pretty much gone and the Test Championships hopes of retaining the trophy are all but gone as well. So this Test is massive.
I’m a little bit concerned about Mitchell Marsh. It sounds like he’s going to play, but if he doesn’t bowl, that leaves the Aussies a little bit light bowling wise.
I think Beau Webster’s deserved his opportunity and I’d look at giving him a run if Marsh can’t bowl. His batting has really matured, he can bowl at medium pace and throw in some offies too.
Hopefully, with the records everyone’s got in Adelaide, they don’t have to use the fifth bowler that much.
Marnus Labuschagne is dismissed LBW. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
I want all the Aussies in the team to make runs but if they don’t, I think Sam Konstas is the player to come in because he’s a top-order batter, he’s in form and they will need to try something different if the batters don’t fire again.
Marnus Labuschagne is likely on his last chance to prove himself – it’s not like he’s a rookie just making his way at Test level. He has been the top-ranked Test batter in the world and he can get back there.
We all know how hard he trains but I hope he doesn’t actually over-train.
He was averaging over 60 at No.3. He’s up to the level. But, I think mentally, tactically and technically, he’s got himself into a rut.
Number three is such an important spot. If you get a rock-solid batter there scoring runs, it just makes it so much easier on the middle order.
India look like they’ll be stronger with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill back. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ravindra Jadeja or Ravi Ashwin get recalled as well ahead of Washington Sundar.
I was really impressed with their intent in Perth with everything from selections to batting after their hiccup in the first innings and their bowling – that’s the blueprint for Cummins and Australia to follow.
(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
I’m looking forward to seeing what Australia comes out with. A bit of ruthlessness.
We are the reigning Test champs so we need to play like it. Half the team will retire as all-time greats – guys like Starc, Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon have to dominate.
Get the basics right like nailing the stock ball and building pressure from both ends with the bowling.
With the batting, I thought they didn’t rotate the strike nearly enough at Optus Stadium and got bogged down at one end. You can’t do that at Test level, especially against Bumrah because he just works you over.
The batters need to find what works quickly – change your guard slightly, make sure your partner’s ready to take a quick single and even though Mohammad Siraj and Arshit Rana bowled well in Perth as the back-up quicks, let’s make them bowl more overs and see whether they can back up for a second or third spell and be as effective.
It all starts with Cummins and the new ball – he can set the tone for a bounce-back win because another loss here will have massive consequences for this series, the Test championship and probably the careers of some of the Australian players.
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