Australia’s Pat Cummins plays down pitch concerns ahead of the series opener | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Australia skipper Pat Cummins on Wednesday played down concerns about the Nagpur pitch ahead of the opening Test of the four-match series against India. There were accusations against India from the Australian media regarding the selective watering of the pitch by the curators.
According to reports, the way the Nagpur pitch has been prepared has left the area outside left-handers’ off-stump dry at both ends.
Cummins, whose team just needs to avoid a 0-4 whitewash to make the World Test Championship final in June, conceded that Australia’s left-handed batsmen might have to work extra hard to score runs during the match, which begins on Thursday.

But the visiting captain also added that home advantage is part of the challenge of Test cricket.
“That’s part of the challenge of playing away. Home teams want to win at home. In Australia, we’re lucky we’ve normally got pace and bounce. Home match advantage, I don’t think it’s a terrible thing. It’s another challenge and makes touring over here even harder when you know the conditions are custom-made for them,” Cummins told reporters.
Cummins did not reveal his playing XI, but Australia could potentially pick five left-handed batsmen in their top seven, setting the scene for a potential trial by spin.

Cummins disclosed that all-rounder Cameron Green, recovering from a finger injury, would miss the opener, joining pacemen Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc on the sidelines.
Australia may blood uncapped Todd Murphy alongside fellow off-spinner Nathan Lyon, and Peter Handscomb might pip Matthew Renshaw for the number six position to bring right-handed variety in their southpaw-heavy lineup.
“I think it is a factor over here. With so much traffic from the right-handers’ bowling, at times there is a bit more out there for the left-handers,” Cummins said.

Cummins also spelled out how his batters can overcome spin.
“You’ve got those different options – the sweeps, the reverse sweeps, a really clean method.”
(With inputs from Reuters)