Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins has set his immediate goal of guiding the team to triumph at the Indian Premier League.
Speaking with The Hindu on the sidelines of a promotional event for Carrera eyewear in Hyderabad on April 30, Cummins said he was very keen to finish off the IPL campaign on a high for Sunrisers as he felt his boys were really playing well.
“Our opener Abhishek Sharma is the most impressive I have seen. A real talent,” he said.
On whether the early dismissals of openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma in the PowerPlay puts pressure on the others, Cummins said: “It will be great if they put runs on the board, but it cannot work every time. We got a very strong batting line-up to cover the base, re-settle a bit and make it to the top four as the first objective,” he said.
Cummins, who led Australia to victory in the World Test championship and the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, said there was not much of a change in his style of captaincy between leading his country and SRH in the IPL.
“The hardest thing is to know the players, motivate each one of them. Luckily, it didn’t take very long and they have been pretty welcoming,” Cummins said.
Reflecting on the Impact Player Rule, the Australian fast bowler said it was harsh on the bowlers when batters keep coming. “We are a little different side with so many all-rounders and the Impact Rule is important for us in the context of having five full time bowlers,” he said.
“It is a huge challenge to be a bowler, especially in a T20 format. You have to have plans as batters come hard at you. But, if you really bowl good overs in a game, they could be match-winning,” Cummins said.
What makes Australia so special in a World Cup? “I think it is the confidence of the players, the brand of cricket we play and many of them are quite experienced. They know what it means to win big matches,” Cummins said.
