Border: Next 12 months will be 'acid test' for Cummins
AFP
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Legendary Australia captain Allan Border was impressed with the leadership of Test captain Pat Cummins. But acknowledged that the India Test series will be an ‘acid test’ for him.
Australia set to tour India for a four-Test series next month, before meeting a rejuvenated England in the Ashes later this year.
Australia has never won a series in India since 2004, while it last defeated England in the Ashes on opposition soil in 2001.
"That is going to be the acid test for him and the team. The next 12 months is the real test for that side and Pat's captaincy in particular because India is just about the last frontier for the Australian cricket team,” Border told ABC Sport.
Border said he was initially concerned about Cummins being appointed skipper in 2021 as he thought it could affect his bowling.
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"I was not as keen to see a fast bowler [appointed captain], not necessarily the individual but more just the fact that he's our number-one fast bowler. But he's proved so many people wrong that and he's handled that so well,” he said.
"Maybe the make-up of the team has helped, where he's got quite a few senior players that he can bounce things off and they can sort of take over to a certain degree when he's got the ball in his hand when he's bowling,"
Border heaped praises on Cummins for perfectly playing his role as captain in the Aussie side.
"I take my hat off to him. He's done fantastically well. They look like a happy side. They're playing very good cricket and that's all you can do as captain," he added.
