"He would bat, bat, bat and bat"- Pat Cummins recalls 'Real Test Cricket' battle with Cheteshwar Pujara in BGT 2018-19 and 2020-21
Australian captain Pat Cummins recalled his battles with India's Test great Cheteshwar Pujara in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophies, praising his hunger to bat time. Team India have won the previous four bilateral Test series against Australia, including the two Down Under in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
Pujara was the Player of the Series in the former, scoring 521 runs at an average of 74.42 with three centuries and a fifty. His heroics helped India win their first-ever Test series in Australia by a 2-1 margin.
The 36-year-old wasn't as consistent in the 2020-21 affair, averaging only 33.87 in four Tests. But his three half-centuries came at crucial stages in the series, helping India comeback from a 0-1 deficit to complete a 2-1 victory.
As the two teams get set to battle in a five-match series down under, starting next month, Cummins said on the Star Sports Press Room:
"It was always great playing (against) Pujara. He was one of those guys who never really felt like he was getting away from you. But then he would (just) bat, bat, bat and bat. I really enjoyed the contest against him. Some days he won, other days I won. It's going to have a bit of a different feel without him. Pujara is a great player. I had lots of battles against him over the years. I quite enjoyed them, to be honest. It was real Test cricket."
He added:
"He might score runs, but you always feel like you're in for a chance. It comes down to almost who wants to outlast each other, which I quite like that aspect of Test cricket. It's going to be a shame that he is not there, but I'm sure they'll pick someone else who's in a similar kind of style."
Pujara has been out of the Indian Test side since the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia.
Meanwhile, the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins with the first Test in Perth, starting November 22.
"I think it's right up there" - Pat Cummins on India-Australia rivalry matching the Ashes
Pat Cummins feels the India-Australia rivalry is all but equal to the Ashes due to India's recent dominance in Tests, especially down under.
Rohit Sharma's Men are currently No.2 in the ICC Test rankings behind Australia but stand atop the ongoing 2023-25 WTC table with the Aussies in second place.
When asked if the India series matches the Ashes in competition, Cummins said:
"I do think it is. Particularly, after the Indian team won the last couple of series at (our) home. We've had more success against England over the past decade. I think it's right up there. You know when you play against India, you've got a few Indian fans that are watching. It's a slightly different rivalry to England-Australia rivalry. But again, now having a five-Test match series, it does mirror the Ashes series very closely."
He concluded:
"Winning (in) Test cricket away from home is as tough as it gets in our sport and India have done that around the world. They are really, really good at home but also, one of the better teams to travel as well — that's their reputation."
Despite New Zealand and Australia winning the 2021 and 2023 WTC titles, Team India qualified for the final on both occasions.