NEWS
Follow UsAustralia are 0-1 down in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, but skipper Pat Cummins reckons that having faced India at Perth places them in a better position for Adelaide in terms of tackling the visitors’ batting and bowling plans.
"I hope there's some lessons learned," said Cummins speaking to the press a day before the day-night Test in Adelaide. "The good thing is, batting and bowling we've now had a look at them, they've had a look at us as well, but you get a look at some of the bowling plans that you want to implement.
“The same with the batters, they know how they are going to be attacked first up. I'm sure - well, I really hope - everyone's kind of learned a bit and come back here slightly better prepared having had a look at what they are going to throw at us,” he said.
Cummins was also clear in his expectations from Marnus Labuschagne, Australia’s number three who averages 24.5 in Test cricket this year. Barring a knock of 90, Labuschagne only has 33 runs in the rest of the nine innings of his last five Tests. Labuschagne batted 52 balls in the first innings in Perth, scoring only 2. Matthew Hayden had stated that Labuschagne wasn’t only leaving the balls but had left his mindset behind.
Cummins said he is expecting the right-hander to be more proactive given how he has been training in the build-up.
"He's training well like he always does, hitting millions of balls," Cummins said. "It's pretty impossible to ignore some of the commentary about perhaps being a little bit more proactive, so I think you've seen that side of it in the nets. The challenge is always going out there and making sure you have that mindset. But he's been great like he always is. Always working on things, trying to plan how he's going to score his hundred this Test."
However, Cummins also cleared that Australia won’t be using Labuschagne’s seam-up bowling as they did for a few overs in Perth. Despite the questions on Mitchell Marsh’s bowling workload for the match, the skipper reiterated that the specialist bowlers in the line-up will soak in the extra overs. Australia bowled 134 overs in the second innings of the Perth Test but the 10-day gap between the first and the second Test will allow the fast bowlers to get going.
"I'd say more likely turn to the fast bowlers a bit more. In Perth, Joshy was getting a little bit sore as well there towards the end, so there's a bit of preservation there. Whereas this Test everyone's fit and firing so if that remains the case as a general rule you try and rely on your four main guys,” he said.
Marsh, meanwhile, has been locked in for the clash despite pulling up sore after the first Test. The Western Australian bowled 17 overs in Perth and picked up three wickets. However, he was in doubt for the second Test and has only batted in the nets since.
"Made the call with the medical staff over the last couple of days to give him a couple of days off bowling, but expect him to warm up and if required, he will bowl. Guessing he would be required at some point, we prioritize his overs for the games rather than kind of using up some of them in the nets,” Cummins answered on Marsh’s situation.
The skipper was also positive that Josh Hazlewood would return for the Brisbane Test despite a quick turnaround time. He bowled in the nets on Wednesday (December 4) but Australia didn’t want to rush him without 100% match fitness.
"That's probably the right call in hindsight. In previous years where he's kept bowling, it's probably turned that one-week injury into a three or four or five-week injury whereas this year seems a little bit different and he's really confident,” he said.
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