"He's obviously dealing with what he's dealing with at home" - Andrew McDonald provides update on Pat Cummins ahead of Ahmedabad Test
Australia's head coach Andrew McDonald hinted that captain Pat Cummins remains unlikely to return for the fourth Test against India, starting in Ahmedabad on Thursday (March 9). The former Test all-rounder said that Cummins has been in constant touch with the Australian players in India.
The 29-year-old speedster returned home after the second Test in Delhi to attend to his ailing mother, who's reportedly in palliative care. Steve Smith stepped in and led Australia in the third Test in Indore, helping them win the game and seal their spot in the World Test Championship final.
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Speaking to reporters on Saturday (March 4), McDonald sympathised with Cummins and said that how invested he has been in the national team despite his personal issues. McDonald added that they will take a call on Cummins' return in the next few days.
As quoted by Perth Now, McDonald said:
"There were exchanges going there (between players and Cummins on Friday). He's obviously dealing with what he's dealing with at home, but he's still so invested in this group. Our thoughts are still with him and his family at this difficult time. We're in constant contact with him daily, so at the moment he's not here, and the Test match is a few days away, so we'll discuss with Pat on a daily basis."
Reflecting on Australia's stunning comeback in Indore, McDonald added that the game was the perfect emodiment of how they wanted the series to go.
"On the back of Delhi, we had one hour of chaos there, and that cost us that Test match when we'd played pretty good cricket across that game. We had an hour in this Test match as well where we lost 6-11, which could have easily thrown the game back into India's control, but the way we have gone about it is the way we have wanted to go about it the whole time. We've probably just chose the wrong moment to press, and that's cost us at times."
Smith and Co. showcased excellent grit with both bat and ball despite losing the toss. Their spinners bowled India out for a paltry 109 in the first innings and 163 in the second before chasing down 76 for victory on the third morning. Nathan Lyon was adjudged the Player of the Match for his match haul of 11 wickets.
"I don’t think we know what we’re going to get in Ahmedabad" - Andrew McDonald
McDonald reckons that the visitors' nine-wicket loss has rattled India and suggested that Australia will be ready for any conditions they get in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad next week. He said:
"I don’t think we know what we’re going to get in Ahmedabad, don’t think anyone does. It’s totally out of our control. But we’ve definitely put some pressure into that change room. We felt as though we did that most of the time in Delhi as well. You’ve got to be near perfect against India in India, to put them away, and I think it was a great win, and that’s what we did. Full credit to the guys, great reward for a group that over the past couple of weeks have had their challenges."
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Should the tourists draw the series, it will be their best result in India since 2004 when they won one.