'His Job Is To Make The New Ball Talk' : Aakash Chopra Explains How KKR Could Best Utilize Pat Cummins

Former Indian opening batsman Aakash Chopra has suggested to Kolkata Knight Riders how best to use their most expensive player in IPL 2021. Kolkata Knight Riders bought Pat Cummins for a record-breaking amount of INR 15.5 crores ahead of the 2020 edition of IPL. Aakash Chopra implicated that the two-time champions have to make the most of Pat Cummins in the initial overs of any innings.

Pat Cummins fetched a mind-boggling amount of INR 15.5 crores; however, his statistics were modest. The 27-year old struggled in his first match, going wicketless for 49 runs in three overs. Cummins ended his season with 12 wickets in 14 games at 34.08, while Kolkata Knight Riders marginally missed out on a playoffs spot. But despite a modest show, Kolkata retained the right-arm speedster for the upcoming edition.

Aakash Chopra claimed that Pat Cummins is not the franchise’s death bowler and agreed with the paceman’s earlier comments that the ball doesn’t suddenly start swinging after getting millions. The 43-year old conceded that since Cummis is effective with the new ball, his job is to break the opposition’s batting line-up in the powerplay overs. Aakash stated that it might not be a wise idea for a captain to use the Australian bowler at the backend of the innings.

“He is not your gun death bowler, so that admission is important to begin with that even though we have paid him 15.5 crores and by his own admission the ball doesn’t start swinging a lot more because you have been paid that kind of sum. So his job is to just make the new ball talk, take a couple of wickets at the top and break the back of the opposition’s batting in the first six overs. If he is able to do that on multiple occasions, he will be fine and then use the remaining couple of overs judiciously. I don’t think you will be giving him two or three overs at the backend of a T20 innings,” Aakash told Star Sports.

He has got bounce, he has got pace, he has got the ability to move the ball: Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra continued saying that Pat Cummins makes the new ball talk through his pace, bounce, and moving the ball sideways after pitching. Hence, the cricketer-turned-commentator believes that a captain has to exploit the new-ball advantage through Cummins and keep someone else for the death overs.

“He has got bounce, he has got pace, he has got the ability to move the ball sideways after pitching but those attributes are great when the ball is new. So this is how you need to use Pat Cummins and allow somebody else to actually flourish at the backend of a T20 innings,” he added.

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