India vs Australia 2017: James Pattinson requested Australian selectors not to consider him for selection

What’s the story?

Australian pacer James Pattinson revealed that he requested the Australian national selectors not to consider him for selection for the Kangaroos’ tour to India. He felt that a return to the national side would be premature and could result in another injury for him.

"I had a chat with the selectors before this series, saying that I just wanted to really get through this Shield season," Pattinson told RSN radio.

"I know the last two times I've done something like this, flown over to a series where it's in the balance and there's the potential of me bowling close to 40, 50 overs, which I have - in South Africa in 2014 I did it, and then last year I did the same thing in New Zealand, going in with not a lot of cricket, and it hasn't really turned out very well for me.

"We didn't want to make that same mistake again, because at 26, if I went over there and did my back again or something, it would be not an ideal thing for the third time,” he continued.

In case you didn’t know...

Australian spearhead Mitchell Starc was ruled out of the remainder of the series after the 2^nd Test in Bangalore due to a stress fracture and it was Pat Cummins who received a call-up to replace the 27-year-old for the final two Tests in Ranchi and Dharamsala.

Pattinson, on the other hand just returned to domestic cricket recently and has been superb in his last 3 matches for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield as he picked up 14 wickets.

Extra Cover: 10 things to know about Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc's replacement

The heart of the matter

Ever since his debut back in 2011, Pattinson has been injured about 4 times and always made a return to the Australian side without too much of playing time behind him. He last played a Test for Australia in February 2016 and it has been a year and a half since he featured in a One Day International for the Kangaroos.

While Pattinson made his intention of not being selected very clear, Cummins, on the other hand, is extremely eager to play in the upcoming Tests against India and cannot wait to make a mark for himself. He made his Test debut six years ago as a 17-year-old against South Africa and he feels his return to test cricket is like a second debut for him.

What’s next?

The Australian side will travel to Ranchi to take on Virat Kohli’s men in the all-important third Test which promises to be an exciting affair after the nail-biter in Bangalore.

Author’s take

With an ability to bowl at an average speed of above 145 kmph, Pattinson would have proved to be deadly against the Indian batting line-up and would have also been the ideal replacement for Starc. However, with his knack of picking up injuries quite easily, it is a good decision taken by him to get a few domestic matches behind him in order to gain some experience before re-entering the international circuit.