"A good reality check for people touring over here" - Pat Cummins on Australia's Test series in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka secured a comprehensive victory over the Pat Cummins-led Australian side on Monday at the Galle International Stadium to level the two-match Test series at 1-1.

The hosts beat Australia by an innings and 39 runs in the final game of the red-ball rubber.

Speaking after the match, Australia captain Pat Cummins suggested that several batters went in with a set plan in their second innings. However, he stated that they weren't able to execute the same.

He pointed out that it is very challenging for visiting teams to do well in Sri Lanka, considering the conditions.

Cummins mentioned that despite their embarrassing loss, the side still have plenty of positives to take from the Test series. The 29-year-old opined that several players from the Aussie team don't have much experience playing in the subcontinent.

The seasoned campaigner highlighted how Australia can use these learnings from this series when they tour India. Pat Cummins said:

"Some batters went out with a really clear plan, and you just get a ball with your name on it earlier than you would've liked. It's a good reality check for people touring over here that it's really hard. So many positives out of last week, that we did find methods that work. One small hiccup doesn't mean you have to change everything. And it makes for more learning than after a win.

"I think half our batting line-up and half our bowling line-up hasn't played a lot over here in the subcontinent. So the experience on these two vastly different wickets, I think we got a lot of lessons out of it to take to India next year."

Australia had won the toss and elected to bat first on the surface. While they managed to post an impressive total of 364 in the first innings, they were bundled out for a paltry score of 151 in the subsequent innings and ultimately lost the game.

For Sri Lanka, veteran batter Dinesh Chandimal starred with the bat with his unbeaten knock of 206. Prabath Jayasuriya was the pick of the bowlers, picking up 12 wickets in the Test.

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"That was probably an opportunity missed" - Pat Cummins on Australia's batting in the 1st innings of Galle Test

Pat Cummins mentioned that Australia batted well on the first day of the game. However, he noted that they failed to cross the 400-run mark as their middle order didn't give enough support to Steve Smith.

The veteran pacer suggested that the footmarks played a major role when they batted for the second time. He further added that Sri Lanka securing a crucial lead of 190 put them on the backfoot.

Pat Cummins added:

"That was probably an opportunity missed. The way we set up the game on day one, we were hoping to get 400-plus, which history suggests here puts you in a really good position. Unfortunately none of us hung around with Smith long enough to get up to the 400-plus, which meant even if we were out there for 180 overs you were kind of level at the turn.

"Certainly as the game went on the footmarks started to react a bit more. A fresh bowling side always makes a bit of a difference as well. So it all happened pretty quickly, and unfortunately we were on the wrong side.

"The plan had been to just bat. It was still close to five sessions left in the game. I think if we were behind by just over 100 we were still in the game, but 200 probably put it beyond us. We were trying to bat for the rest of the day then come up with a plan for tomorrow."

Australia had started off their tour of Sri Lanka with a brilliant 2-1 T20I series win. They ended up on the losing side in the five-match ODI series as they managed just two victories.

The red-ball fixtures were a mixed bag for the visitors. While they completed a dominant 10-wicket win in the series opener, they suffered a big defeat in the final encounter.