Australia captain Pat Cummins had a simple, yet savage one-word answer when he was queried about the plans his batters will come up with to tackle Mohammed Siraj, the new number 1 ODI bowler.
With just two weeks left for the World Cup 2023 to kick-start, India and Australia will compete in a short, but crucial 3-ODI series. The matches are scheduled for September 22, 24, and 27, to be played in Mohali, Indore, and Rajkot, respectively; all three highly batting-friendly venues.
The first ODI will be played on Friday at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.
Pat Cummins’ savage reply about Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj must have been on the minds of the Aussie batters following his sensational six-wicket haul against Sri Lanka – he took 6/21 in a marathon 7-over spell – that helped India bundle Sri Lanka out for only 50 runs in the Asia Cup 2023 final.
Pat Cummins attended the press conference on Thursday where an inevitable question came flying about Mohammed Siraj, who climbed to the top of the ICC ODI Bowling ranking after his splendid spell against Sri Lanka.
A journalist asked Cummins if Australia has any special plan to face Mohammed Siraj. Unpetrubed, and very calm, the Australian captain replied with “No” with a small smile on his face.
Meanwhile, India have rested Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav for the first two ODIs. Australia are coming off losing a series 3-2 to South Africa in South Africa, but they lacked several first-choice players there.
In Mohali also, they will be without Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell, both of whom are recovering from injuries.
About the combination Australia would play, Pat Cummins explained, “Want to strike a balance between getting used to the conditions and getting a few wins under our belts. We don’t want to get to the first game (of the World Cup) under-prepared.
“We want to try out a few combinations, a few different players but ideally, we have structured the combination we want to go about. As a captain, I want to get used to how to use my bowlers here. Might be a bit different to South Africa and Australia. Does the second spinner play a part? Hopefully, we’ll get a few answers to that in the next few games.”
