Cummins continues comeback

DHARAMSALA: Pat Cummins continued his magnificent Test comeback as he finished the day with figures of 21-5-59-1 against India on Day 2 of the Test. He bowled in excess of 90mph, generated extra bounce, late movement and also consistently troubled the Indian batsmen. Although he picked up only one wicket, his spell has given Australia a slight advantage.

Cummins, who made a comeback to the Australian side after six years during the Ranchi Test, bowled with hostility and discipline to ensure that India did not score runs at a quick rate. The first session saw the very best of Cummins. He generated extra bounce from the deck and achieved late swing at pace. He got KL Rahul to edge a full ball that swung away on 10 but the chance was dropped by Matt Renshaw at slip. The Australian pacer bowled his best to Rahul as he gave away just 20 runs in nine overs bowled to him. He finally got his reward when he snapped up Rahul for 60 and broke an 87-run stand with Pujara.

The 23-year-old bowled in short spells but continued to trouble the Indian batsmen. He had a very interesting battle with Rahane. When he arrived at the crease, the Aussie decided to pepper Rahane with short deliveries. The first bouncer almost lured the Indian skipper into making a mistake while the second was dispatched to the deep mid wicket fence. The third ball was a moral victory for the bowler as Rahane slogged at a bouncer but the top edge went over third man for a six. The contest continued and Rahane once again lived dangerously as he edged a shortish ball but luckily it went over the slips. Although he did not take Rahane’s wicket, Cummins had ensured that the Indian skipper would have to work hard for his runs.

Speaking about Cummins’ performance, Lyon said , “There has not been much help for the pace bowlers in this series. But the way Cummins and Hazlewood bowled was special. Cummins, in particular, showed what a world-class bowler he really is. It is great to see Cummins come back and bowl with pace,” Lyon said.