‘A really tight unit’: Cummins defends struggling batters after humiliating defeat

Australian captain Pat Cummins insisted there was no need for wholesale changes to the Australian team that suffered one of the most humiliating results for the home side in recent memory, when India claimed a 295-run victory in Perth to kick off the Border-Gavaskar series.

Debutant fast bowler Harshit Rana toppled Alex Carey for 36 early in the final session of day four in Perth to wrap up the Australian second innings and seal the hosts’ first-ever defeat at the venue. India take a 1-nil series lead to Adelaide, where the teams play a pink ball Test from December 6.

Australia’s struggling top four entered the record books in the worst way at Perth Stadium by scoring the fewest combined runs in the nation’s Test history, against an Indian side inspired by stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah. Captain Rohit Sharma was in Perth for the final day and will return to the team in Adelaide.

Cummins insisted there was no need for panic after Australia’s top order crumbled in record fashion, indicating there would not be mass changes to the team for the second Test. Australia are preparing to fly to Adelaide a day earlier than planned to fine-tune preparations for a match that could define the series.

He also refuted suggestions by Fox Cricket commentator Michael Vaughan that Josh Hazlewood’s night four reflections about looking ahead to the next Test indicated divisions in the team.

“No, not at all,” Cummins said. “There’s plenty of times where the batters have dragged us bowlers out of tight situations and we’ve done the same. So it’s a really tight unit, probably one of the tightest teams I’ve ever played with.

“We really enjoy playing cricket together, we’ve been through a lot over the last few years the core group, so no problems there, everyone gets along really well.”

However, Cummins did admit that allrounder Mitchell Marsh was sore and carrying “a couple of niggles since the UK tour” after having to bowl on multiple days in the game.

“I think after every Test you always kind of look at what you think your best match up is,” Cummins said. “This is a sample size of one. Four or five days ago, we thought this was our best 11 [players]. So I dare say there won’t be many changes going into Adelaide. Got a bit of work to do over the next 10 days.”

Cummins conceded it was a Test to forget for Australia, who after a decent first stint with the ball capitulated early in both innings as Bumrah ran riot, finishing with match figures of 8-72.

“Not an ideal way to start the summer. You sit in the change room after a loss like that and it hurts,” Cummins said. “When a team declares on you it’s never an amazing feeling. We’ve all been in these situations before, it’s the nature of professional sport, you lose some games.

“The biggest challenge and the most important thing is how do you bounce back, what’s your next move. That’s what we need to do this week. We were clearly well off the mark, there’s a lot to work on, so the most important thing is there’s four Test matches to come. How do we make sure we aren’t in this position again?”

Alex Carey is bowled to seal Australia’s defeat.Credit: Getty Images

Cummins said the damage was done on day one, when the Australians collapsed in their first innings after bowling India out for 150. The home side struggled to a total of 104 before young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and batting great Virat Kohli took the game away from them in the second innings.

“We didn’t give ourselves a chance in a few different facets. I think late on day one, if we had just got through that period of the game, it looks a little bit different on day two. Obviously, a couple of big partnerships [from India] when we were bowling [didn’t help],” Cummins said.

An impressive innings of 89 from Travis Head and 47 from Mitch Marsh were the only real highlights of the first two sessions of day four as Australia did their best but couldn’t get anywhere near the mammoth target. Man of the match Bumrah and fellow quick Mohammed Siraj took three wickets apiece to land an early psychological blow in the five-Test series.

With Cummins making just two runs on Sunday evening as Australia’s nightwatchman, it is was a historic low for the top four in this Test. Across eight individual innings, Nathan McSweeney, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Cummins combined for just 29 runs.

Never before has an Australian top four made fewer runs in a Test. The next worst was the combined 38 runs made by Australia’s No.1 to No.4 in a Test against England in Manchester in 1888. On two other occasions in 1888, at Lord’s and the SCG, Australia’s top four made just 40 runs combined.

Cummins backed Labuschagne to be back in the runs in Adelaide.

“It’s no secret how hard the batters, particularly Marnus, works in the nets,” Cummins said. “He’s always trying to find those small marginal gains. This week there will be a lot of conversation with the coaches around his approach and what he could be doing differently. We know he’s a class player. Him at his best is one of the scariest propositions for bowlers.”

Head always relishes the chance to take the game on and showed that early on day four with positive shot selection and crisp timing. He eventually edged Bumrah behind, 11 runs short of a century, before Marsh chopped a ball back onto his stumps.

It would have taken a miracle for Australia to chase the target of 534. The highest successful run chase in Test cricket is 418, achieved by the West Indies in 2003 against Australia at Antigua.

Instead, they were bowled out for 238, humbled by the tourists in their own backyard and with questions swirling about their selections and preparation.

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