"Pat Cummins Needs To Do A Lot Of Home Work To Become A Successful Test Captain": Laxman Sivaramakrishnan

Former India cricketer Laxman Sivaramakrishnan believes newly-appointed Australia Test captain Pat Cummins will have to do a "lot of homework" in order become a successful leader and also manage his workload as a fast bowler. In rapidly changing events in Australian cricket, Cummins was appointed as the Test captain last week after Tim Paine announced that he would be going on an indefinite break from cricket following the controversial events of 2017 in which he had sent inappropriate messages to a female co-worker.  

Cummins, Australia's first-ever full-time fast-bowling captain in their 144-year-old history, will walk out as the leader of the side in the first Ashes Test against England starting on December 8. 

Sivaramakrishnan, who had the privilege of playing under Kapil Dev, India's last designated fast-bowling captain, said Cummins needs to work hard on his basics. 

"You want bowlers as captains. They are a rare breed. Not too many bowlers get the honour of captaining their country. But Pat Cummins will have to do a lot of homework. He's got a very good deputy in Steve Smith although there has been some controversy over him with what happened in South Africa but Steve Smith will certainly help him," Sivaramakrishnan told NDTV during a media interaction organised by Sony Sports Network. 

Sivaramakrishnan, who is part of the Tamil commentary Panel for the upcoming Ashes Tour, said the No.1-ranked Test bowler needs to take a leaf out of the captains that he has played under.    

"Pat Cummins, having played under different captains, would know how long a spell he bowls in a Test match. If he has marked it down or taken a note then it will really help him, he can follow that system," said the former India leg-spinner. 

When asked about the workload management of Cummins, Sivaramakrishnan said Cummins needs to bowl short but effective spells and identify the batters he wants to target. 

"It's going to be summer in Australia so we might see him bowling short but effective spells, that's the most important thing. He's also got to keep a tab of his record against certain players. He will have to identify the batters and probably try to bring himself into the attack when they are at the crease. He has to plan very well so a lot of homework needs to be done to be able to manage his workload and also become a successful captain," he added. 

Watch the 1st test of The Ashes Tour 2021, LIVE on SONY SIX (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels, 5:30 am IST onwards from 8th to 12th December 2021. 

Topics mentioned in this article

Australia Cricket Team England Cricket Team Pat Cummins Laxman Sivaramakrishnan Brisbane Cricket Ground (Woolloongabba), Brisbane The Ashes, 2021/22 Cricket Australia vs England, 1st Test