Australian skipper Pat Cummins’ status as a modern-day great went up a notch following the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series win against India on Sunday, adding one more trophy to his cabinet that shows no signs of shrinking down. The moment debutant Beau Webster hit the winning runs, millions of Australians worldwide watching the match live from the stadium or the comfort of their home let out a huge sigh of relief, as the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was back in Allan Border’s country after a wait of 10 years.
The gold stayed with Team India for 10 years after two spicy bilateral series at home and away each. India’s 2020-21 series win stands as one of the most inspirational chapters of the sport as Ajinkya Rahane led India overcame the ’36-all-out’ debacle from the first Test, the absence of key and experienced players due to injuries, most notably Virat Kohli who was expecting his first child with wife Anushka Sharma and consequent inexperience.
However, Cummins delivered a fine performance both as a captain and player, avenging two successive losses at home in the most emphatic manner, fitting the stature and quality of ICC World Test Championship holders. Not only he ended as the side’s top wicket-taker with 25 scalps at an average of 21.36, with a five-wicket haul to his name, but he also chipped in 159 useful runs in eight innings, with knocks of 49 and 41 during the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne being his most valuable contributions. The 31-year-old’s tactical brilliance, relentless hit-the-deck bowling and ability to deliver crucial knocks, wickets during clutch moments paid off big time.
After being appointed as Test captain in 2021 and taking over as the ODI captain in 2022, the journey has been upwards and just upwards for Cummins. Since then, he has retained the Ashes by ensuring a 2-2 series draw away from home in the UK and became India’s biggest heart-breaker and nightmare by beating them in the ICC World Test Championship and ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 last year and now by capturing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to end India’s golden run against Australia in Tests.
Cummins starred in the Ashes series with 18 wickets (fourth-highest) at an average of 37.72 with the best figures of 6/91 and also made 162 runs with his bat in nine innings, worth its weight in gold, at an average of 23.14 with best score of 44.
In the ICC World Test Championship final, Cummins secured a total of four wickets, including 3/83 in the first innings. His first innings tally included wickets of skipper Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane.
During the 50-over marquee event in India, Cummins took 15 wickets, at an average of 34.33, with best figures of 3/51. He also delivered a magnificent spell of 2/34 in the final, which included the prized wicket of Virat Kohli. With the bat, he managed 128 crucial runs at an average of 32.00, with best score of 37. This also included a calm and composed knock of 12* in 68 balls, that helped Glenn Maxwell (201*) secure a crucial win against Afghanistan single-handedly while chasing a target of 292 runs.
Now during this recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Cummins has once again delivered an all-timer campaign, frustrating bowlers with his batting just when India thought they had Aussies down and took wickets just when batters started to look threatening.
Is Cummins in the conversations of all-time greatest Australian cricketers yet?
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