(Source X)
Australian Test captain Pat Cummins is ensuring he’s fully prepared for the upcoming five-match series against India by participating in Sheffield Shield matches. This will help him sharpen his skills before facing the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team.
Cummins will be missing out on Australia’s white-ball tour to Scotland and England, choosing instead to rest and directly return for the series against India. He was recently active in the Major League Cricket and will now concentrate on strength and conditioning as he gears up for the home summer.
Australia will host India for the five-Test series beginning in November, followed by a two-Test series against Sri Lanka. The outcomes of these seven Tests will be crucial in determining whether Australia secures a spot in the ICC World Test Championship final. Currently, they are the defending champions but trail behind India in the World Test Championship standings.
I imagine kind of late October/early November will be when I start playing and building up for the Tests – Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins explained his choice to participate in Sheffield Shield matches by revealing that he discussed it with coach Andrew McDonald. He plans to play a few games in the Shield competition before rejoining the team for the Test series against India. Cummins shared these details in an interview with News Corp.
“Ronnie [coach Andrew McDonald] called me the other day and said we need to talk about this. I prefer to go a little bit fresher but play some cricket going in.
“So I’d say it’s either two or three ODIs, plus a Shield [game] or maybe just some Shield, maybe some NSW one-day stuff. I imagine kind of late October/early November will be when I start playing building up for the Tests.”
Pat Cummins is set to play in the Sheffield Shield for the first time since February 2021. His last appearance in the tournament was for New South Wales over two years ago, and he has only played in nine Shield matches throughout his career.
Cummins may also use the upcoming Pakistan series to further prepare, as Australia will be facing Babar Azam’s team to get ready for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which is scheduled for February-March next year.
New South Wales has a Shield fixture against Victoria starting October 20, followed by a match against Queensland from November 1. However, the latter game overlaps with the beginning of the ODI series against Pakistan, providing Cummins with a good chance to fine-tune his form ahead of the India series.
Mitchell Starc, who will be involved in the ODI series against England, and Josh Hazlewood, set to participate in the entire tour, could also be available for New South Wales before the international season. Nathan Lyon is expected to feature in at least two Shield matches before the series against India.
