Australia captain Pat Cummins yesterday urged new opener Nathan McSweeney not to try and emulate swashbuckling David Warner, adding that his team had unfinished business with India.
The uncapped McSweeney is to make his Test debut at Perth Stadium today, parachuted in at the top of the order alongside Usman Khawaja after Warner’s retirement this year.
He has big shoes to fill and goes into the game having only opened once before at first-class level, in a warm-up Australia A match this month.
Photo: AFP
Cummins said that McSweeney must be himself when he fronts a world-class India attack spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah on what is expected to be a fiery pitch.
“Davey is very hard to replace in many ways, but I think the most important thing for someone like Nath coming in is to play his own game,” Cummins said. “He doesn’t need to strike at 80 [runs per 100 deliveries] like Davey did if that’s not his game.”
Other than McSweeney, Australia have a settled side. They are on a mission to win their first Test series against India in almost a decade.
Only Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Steve Smith remain from the squad who last won in Australia in 2014-2015.
Since then they have slumped to four straight Border-Gavaskar series losses, including two at home.
“It’s kind of one of the last things to tick off for a lot of us,” Cummins told reporters of beating their big rival. “Almost every challenge that we’ve had thrown with us over the last few years we’ve stepped up and done well. To do that for another year, another home summer, would kind of cement this.”
While Australia go into the first of five Tests with their starting 11 locked in, India is set for a shake-up after their devastating 3-0 home series loss to New Zealand.
Rohit Sharma is likely to miss the match following the birth of his second child, with Bumrah assuming the captaincy.
No. 3 Shubman Gill was a doubt with an injured thumb, while the bowling line-up behind Bumrah was yet to be decided.
Nevertheless, Cummins is under no illusions about the task ahead.
“There will always be pressure when you are playing at home,” he said. “We’re all excited, we know India are right up there with the best teams. They are missing a couple of guys we are more familiar with, but we know that whoever they pick they will obviously think are good enough for Test cricket.”
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