Allan Border believes Pat Cummins should have been picked for India tour

What’s the story?

Legendary Australian captain Allan Border believes that Pat Cummins should have been selected in the Australian Test squad to take on India in the four Test series that begins on February 23. The 23-year-old fast bowler was omitted from the Australian squad in favour of Jackson Bird.

Speaking to SEN Radio, Allan Border said: “I personally would have taken a gamble on another paceman, probably Pat Cummins. If you use Pat Cummins properly, he’s only probably got to bowl 16 overs in a day. You just do it in four short bursts and you just let him rip. If I’m a batsman, I know who I prefer to face, even on a turning track. I think he’s (Cummins) a guy who could get some reverse swing as well, which will be really key to doing well over there.”

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In case you missed it...

Pat Cummins has played just one Test for Australia but has impressed in the Big Bash League for Sydney Thunder and is currently playing in the ODI series for Australia against Pakistan. Although he is 23, he has played just 8 first-class matches including his solitary Test back in 2011.

Australia Squad: Steve Smith (C), David Warner, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Matthew Wade (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Steve O'Keefe, Matthew Renshaw, Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Swepson

The heart of the matter

The 23-year-old has shown that he hasn’t lost any of his blistering pace since his comeback from injury. And Allan Border believes that Australia should have taken a gamble on Cummins despite his relative lack of inexperience in the longest format of the game.

The legendary Australian captain also believes that the spinners can’t win games against India on their own. He believes that India have a “phenomenally good batting line up” and the spinners will have to show a lot more patience than they generally do.

What’s next?

Australia will complete the ongoing ODI series against Pakistan before going to India on their four Test series, which begins next month. Having taken a 2-1 lead in the series, the fourth ODI will take place on Sunday while the final ODI is on Thursday.

Sportskeeda’s take

While it is true that Pat Cummins would have provided a different threat on sub-continental pitches, the fact that he has played just 8 first-class matches in his career and one Test way back in 2011 could have weighed on the minds of the selectors. With Cummins likely to offer less control and go for more runs, the selectors certainly seem to have made the right call.