Hearing The Crowd Go Crazy I Couldn’t Believe It, Just Absolutely Loved It - Pat Cummins Remembers His First Trip To India For 2011 CLT20

Senior Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins takes a trip down memory lane recalling his first trip to India in 2011 for the Champions League T20 tournament, which is now scrapped.

Pat Cummins, then a young 18-year old speedster, represented New South Wales in the competition. He remembers facing the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, the former opener for Mumbai Indians, who would go on to win the tournament.

The now ICC numero uno Test bowler says he was in awe of the Indian crowd then, which would go crazy even when the fielders touched the ball. With 7 scalps in 5 matches, he returned as the leading wicket-taker for NSW, who lost in the semifinal to Royal Challengers Bangalore.

“The first time I landed in India was in 2011 to play the Champions League. I was playing for New South Wales and had just turned 18. That was the first time I had traveled overseas for cricket and growing up you hear all the stories of playing cricket in India and I just absolutely loved it,” Pat Cummins said in a video uploaded on his Youtube channel.

“We played against some superstars, I think Sachin Tendulkar was playing in that tournament. As an 18-year-old coming here and hearing the crowd go crazy I couldn’t believe it. In the warm-up, David Warner and Shane Watson, who were on our side whenever they ran to the boundary, the crowd will just go crazy. It’s so different from Australia. We were here for three or four and I couldn’t get enough of it,” he added.

When you’re batting like seven or eight you’ve a small window to make an impact: Pat Cummins

While Pat Cummins’ batting acumen has often been discussed in an admirable tone – he has over 700 Test runs with a couple of fifties – however, it was the recent IPL 2021 match against Chennai Super Kings that has elevated him in a proper all-rounder’s role.

Batting for the Kolkata Knight Riders, the right-hander smashed 66 runs off 34 balls, an innings laced with 4 fours and 6 sixes, bringing KKR close to the mammoth target.

The 28-year old says he enjoys batting in white-ball cricket where he has the license to go after the bowling, unlike Test cricket where is mostly playing a sedate batter’s role.

“I do (enjoy batting), yeah, sure. Especially when you’re batting kind of like seven or eight you’ve got a small window normally to make an impact so you’re going to try to work on being able to hit from ball one.

“I spend a lot of time being a boring Test batter, I can’t score runs. So I quite enjoy coming out here and swinging the bat. Sometimes it comes off, sometimes it doesn’t,” the seamer concluded.

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