Australia’s Test captain, Pat Cummins, realises that Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma might be the bigger names, but none’s a bigger threat to them winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) than Rishabh Pant. Although Cheteshwar Pujara and Shubman Gill made massive contributions, it was the wicketkeeper that breached the fortress that was Gabba three years ago.
Pant’s splendid record against Cummins, Starc & Lyon
Australians haven’t forgotten what Pant did in the last BGT. The southpaw has never been dismissed by Cummins in Test cricket and has done exceedingly well against Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon. He’s averaging 60 and 45.8 when going against them, and of the four Aussie bowlers, only Josh Hazlewood (average of 32) has troubled him. Even in the last series, it wasn’t the hosts that got Pant out, but he himself.
Cummins aware of Pant threat
Since returning from that accident, Pant’s already hit three fifties and one hundred in five matches. Cummins is very much wary of the swashbuckling southpaw and will have some good plans ready for him come the Perth Test on November 22.
“Yeah, he is someone who always moves the game on pretty quickly, so for some of the players, you have to have some sound plans, too. He’s played well, he had a good series out here in Australia next time. So yeah, we know he can be dangerous when he gets going, so [we’ll] try and have some good plans and hope they come off,” Pat Cummins told Hindustan Times.
Rishabh Pant’s Test record in Australia
| Mat | Inns | Runs | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 12 | 624 | 62.40 | 72.13 | 1 | 2 |
BGT 2024-25 schedule
| Match | Date | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Test | November 22-26 | Perth Stadium, Perth | 7:50 AM |
| 2nd Test (D/N) | December 6-10 | Adelaide Oval | 9:30 AM |
| 3rd Test | December 14-18 | The Gabba, Brisbane | 5:50 AM |
| 4th Test | December 26-30 | MCG, Melbourne | 5:00 AM |
| 5th Test | January 3-7 | SCG, Sydney | 5:00 AM |
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