"Pat Cummins was easily the best bowler on display on both sides" - Shashi Tharoor
Despite Australia losing the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, noted politician and cricket expert Shashi Tharoor felt that Pat Cummins was the best bowler in action from both sides.
Pat Cummins was the Man of the Series after picking up 21 wickets at an average of 20.04 in four Tests against the injury-ravaged visitors. The lanky pacer bowled his heart out on Day 5 at the Gabba, taking 4 for 55, but his efforts were not enough from stopping the visitors claim a stunning win.
Speaking to Sportskeeda’s Indranil Basu in an SK Live session on Facebook, Shashi Tharoor singled out Pat Cummins for praise while also lauding the efforts of the other Australian bowlers. Shashi Tharoor said in this regard:
“(Pat) Cummins was easily the best bowler on display on both sides. Though (Mitchell) Starc had a bad last Test, he had a superb first Test. And (Josh) Hazlewood was consistently effective throughout the series. So, do not take it away by blaming the Australian bowlers. I think they did pretty much everything right they could do. Our batsmen were just equal to the task.”
Shashi Tharoor further opined that although Nathan Lyon did not have the wickets to show, he was the best off-spinner on display in the series, saying in this regard:
“Though I am a great admirer of (Ravichandran) Ashwin, (Nathan) Lyon looked like he would take a wicket with every ball. Whereas, with Ashwin, there were balls that took wickets, but there were many that didn’t [sic]. Even though he got very few wickets in the series, Lyon was the most impressive bowler on display among the three off-spinners.”
Credit to Indian batsmen and bowlers: Shashi Tharoor
Shashi Tharoor praised the Indian batting and bowling efforts, which, according to him, were exemplary.
“Credit should be given to the Indian batsmen and the Indian bowlers. The Indian bowlers were taking 20 wickets time after time, which is astonishing because we don’t have a reputation of taking 20 wickets abroad in every match. And, aside from the first Test we lost, we have taken 20 wickets in every innings,” observed Shashi Tharoor.
Tharoor further continued:
“When it comes to the batting, the guts, the gumption, the attitude, the technique. Everything (was outstanding). We have to praise the Indian batsmen. I will not take one bit of credit away by saying that the Australian bowlers screwed up. Mark my words. The same bowlers will just go and crush South Africa in South Africa.”
India trumped Australia 2-1 to claim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy despite missing many first-team players, including talismanic captain Virat Kohli, for most of the series.