Pat Cummins to Take Eight-Week Break to make himself fully fit for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Pat Cummins to Take an Eight-Week Break, Nathan Lyon Eyes Unfinished Business
Australia’s Captain Prepares for Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Australia’s Test captain, Pat Cummins, has announced an eight-week break to ensure he is in peak condition for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Cummins, 31, who recently participated in Major League Cricket, will skip the white-ball series in England next month to focus on his workload management.
Over the past 18 months, Cummins has had a grueling schedule, featuring in the World Test Championship final, two white-ball World Cups, and the entire Indian Premier League. With a busy Australian summer on the horizon, the skipper has opted for rest to recover fully.
“I’m very sore today after a week of gym,” Cummins shared with Fox Cricket. “Hamstrings, even ankles, kind of build up over months of bowling, but you can’t really nail it while you’re in the midst of the season,” he added.
The Challenge of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
The upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy is already being touted as Australia’s biggest challenge against India. For the first time since its inception, the series will feature five Tests. Australia has not won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since the 2014/15 season, losing the last four series, including two at home, with a 2-1 margin in favor of India.
Cummins, who has never been part of an Australian team that won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, sees this series as an opportunity to change the narrative as a captain. “It’s the trophy I haven’t won before … this is the one trophy a lot of our group haven’t ticked off,” Cummins said. “We’ve achieved some amazing things over the last few years as a Test group. You kind of back yourself to win every series at home. I think you need to try and be up there in the upper echelon of teams. That’s what lies ahead of us this summer,” he added.
During the 2020/21 series in Australia, Cummins was part of the pace attack that bowled India out for just 36 runs in an innings. However, India bounced back to win two of the next three Tests, sealing the series.
Nathan Lyon’s Unfinished Business
It’s not just Cummins who is focused on the upcoming series. Australia’s veteran off-spinner, Nathan Lyon, is also eager for redemption. Lyon, who has been playing County cricket for Lancashire, has been part of all four series losses against India over the past decade.
“It’s been ten years of unfinished business, it’s been a long time, and I know we’re extremely hungry to turn things around especially here at home,” Lyon told ESPN Cricinfo. “Don’t get me wrong, India is an absolute superstar side and extremely challenging, but I’m extremely hungry to turn things around and make sure we get that trophy back.”
Lyon believes that the current Australian team, with a fresh set of players, is well-positioned to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. “I feel like we are a different team to a couple of years ago; we are on a journey of becoming a great Australian cricket team. We’re definitely not there, but we are along that journey and have been playing some decent cricket,” he said.
As part of his preparation, Lyon has sought insights from England left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, who recently toured India. Hartley provided Lyon with valuable tips on how to approach India’s formidable batting lineup, particularly young sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal.
“I haven’t come across him [Jaiswal] yet, but that will be a massive challenge for all us bowlers,” Lyon noted. “The way he played against England, I watched that quite closely and thought that was quite amazing. I had some really good chats with Tom Hartley about different ways he went about it to different guys which I found quite interesting,” Lyon added.
Future Take: Pat Cummins to Take Eight-Week Break
As Cummins takes a break to recharge and Lyon sharpens his strategies, the stage is set for what promises to be an intense and closely contested Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Both players are determined to end Australia’s long wait for a series win against India and bring the trophy back Down Under.
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