Australia Test Captain Pat Cummins has taken an eight-week break following a packed cricket calendar ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. Notably, Australia will host India for five Tests beginning from November 22 for the first time since 1992.
Ahead of the series, Cummins has decided to take a good two-month break to re-energise himself ahead of the packed home schedule against Pakistan and India. Hence, he won’t be featuring in the upcoming white ball series against Scotland and England. Recently, the Aussie skipper opened up on his break and mentioned the gruelling cricketing calendar he’s been a part of since June 2023
“Everyone that comes back after a break is a little bit fresher, you never regret it. I’ve basically been bowling non-stop since the World Test Championship final, nearly 18 months ago. This gives me a good seven or eight weeks completely off bowling so the body can recover, then you start building up again for the summer. It means you can hopefully bowl for a little bit longer, maintain pace is a bit easier, make you less susceptible to injuries,” Cummins was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.
Notably, Cummins hasn’t had much time away from the pitch since June 2023 as he featured in World Test Championship final, The Ashes, ODI World Cup 2023, IPL (Indian Premier League) and T20 World Cup 2024. Hence, it’s pivotal for the Australian pace spearhead to get much-needed rest ahead of the all important series.
Cummins eager to add BGT in his illustrious cabinet
The 31-year-old is eager to win the elusive BGT which India have retained since 2017.
“It’s the trophy I haven’t won before âæ this is the one trophy a lot of our group haven’t ticked off. We’ve achieved some amazing things over the last few years as a Test group. You kind of back yourself to win every series at home. I think you need to try and be up there in the upper echelon of teams. That’s what lies ahead of us this summer. They’re a really good side. We play them quite a lot, we know them really well, but we feel like we’re really well placed also,” he added.
Australia have lost to India in the last two Test series at home in 2018-19 and 2020-21 respectively. Hence, the upcoming series is a highly anticipated one for both teams as they will re-ignite one of the greatest rivalries in Test cricket in modern times.