NEW DELHI: If grounds remain as seam-friendly as they have been in Perth, Adelaide, and Brisbane during the five-Test series against India, Australia skipper Pat Cummins feels he and fellow fast bowler Mitchell Starc will need to take on more responsibilities in Josh Hazlewood‘s absence.
The series is tied at one after Wednesday’s rain-affected draw in Brisbane during the third Test. Australia recovered to win the second day-night Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets, while India won the first Test by 295 runs in Perth.
Hazlewood was out for the remainder of the series with a calf issue after missing the Adelaide Test because of side pain.
With 21 wickets, India’s Jasprit Bumrah leads all bowlers in the series, followed by Cummins and Starc, each with 14.
On Thursday, Cummins expressed hope that he and Starc would play the remaining Test matches, which include the Boxing Day encounter at the Melbourne Cricket Ground starting on December 26 and the Sydney Test starting on January 3.
“Nothing is for certain,” he said. “See how we pull up. But today we’re both fine so I can’t see that changing. It was hot yesterday but physically outside of that we’re good to go.
“We’d had about seven days or so off bowling after Adelaide so we were fresh and ready to go. If anything, the rain breaks (in Brisbane) actually helped us get a bit of a break.”
Australia would need to win at least one Test on Galle’s turning wickets in Sri Lanka next month to maintain its title defense in the World Test Championship if they are unable to defeat India in Melbourne and Sydney.
Hazlewood is expected to be fit enough to return for the two-Test Sri Lanka tour early in the new year.
Cummins may be in doubt for one of the Sri Lanka matches since his wife, Becky, is due to give birth around that time. The dates of the Galle Tests are set for January 29 and February 6.
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