Australian cricket great Allan Border is very impressed with the captaincy of Pat Cummins but said that the upcoming four-Test series against India will be the real test for him. Australia will begin the series with a Test in Jamtha from February 9 and will be eyeing their first series in India in 19 years. Border told ABC Sport, “This series will be a tough test for him (Cummins) and the team. ,
Tim Paine’s sudden resignation ahead of the 2021 Ashes saw the Australian fast bowler take over the captaincy and the team has been in fine form since then. Under Cummins’ captaincy, the team won the Ashes series 4–0, winning against Pakistan, the West Indies and South Africa. Then last year drew the series 1-1 against Sri Lanka on his soil. With these results, Australia are strong contenders to reach their first World Test Championship final.
The series against India will be the final series of the World Test Championship calendar before the team will face England in the Ashes with their eyes on winning the Ashes for the first time since 2001. Border said, “The next 12 months will be a real test for this team and especially for Pat’s captaincy as the series against India will be the last for the Australian cricket team (in the current calendar of the World Test Championship). ,
The 67-year-old former cricketer said, “We don’t win there very often. It is difficult to play there and it is the same in England. Border said that he was initially not in favor of giving Cummins the responsibility of Test captaincy but he has ensured that it does not affect his bowling. He said, “I was not in favor of appointing any fast bowler as captain because he is our number one fast bowler. But he has proved a lot of people wrong and he has handled the team very well.
