Gilchrist Praises Cummins' Intensity During Adelaide Test

Adelaide, Dec 10 (NationPress) Former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist commended captain Pat Cummins for his intensity during the second Test against India at Adelaide Oval, where the home side secured a victory by 10 wickets to equalize the series at 1-1.

In the pink-ball Test, the Australian pace trio of Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Scott Boland took all 20 wickets in India's innings. Cummins and Starc displayed their dominance on the seam-friendly pitch, sharing an impressive 15 wickets between them.

Following a disappointing performance in Perth, where he only managed three wickets in a 295-run defeat, Cummins bounced back with a remarkable seven wickets in Adelaide, celebrating his achievements with a display of controlled enthusiasm.

"You could see through his celebrations that… with each wicket, he was more fervent in his reaction," Gilchrist remarked on Fox Cricket’s The Follow-on podcast. "Not to the point of losing control, but it was evident that they had felt the sting of criticism after their performance in Perth, and internally they were quite disheartened by it."

"This (Adelaide celebrations) illustrated how much it meant to them, and they recognized they were back to the standard they aspire to in their cricket. Cummins was exceptional; he appeared as if he needed a little 'grease and oil change' after Perth, and by the end, he was operating smoothly, which was fantastic to observe.

"The trio of bowlers were cohesive; Nathan Lyon bowled just one over (in the match) and Mitch Marsh four, but other than that, the big three—Starc, Boland, and Cummins—functioned as a collective and bowled as a unit, which was a pleasure to watch," he added.

Meanwhile, Gilchrist expressed admiration for Marnus Labuschagne’s proactive defensive approach, noting that although his dismissal was "relatively soft," Labuschagne has laid a solid groundwork for accumulating more runs as the series advances.

"When defending, if you’re immediately considering whether there’s a single available, I might be mistaken, but in Perth, it appeared he was overly focused on being unyielding in defence, losing the intent in that action," Gilchrist explained.

"This might cause you to miss the chance to seize a quick single, thus getting off strike and avoiding becoming bogged down. Everything he executed (in Adelaide) was very positive and exhibited the correct intent.

"He would have been quite disappointed to lose his wicket in the manner he did, which turned out to be relatively soft.

“The fact that he spent some time at the crease, began gathering runs, and formed a crucial partnership with McSweeney has set Marnus back on the right course. Now, it is his responsibility to replicate that consistently," he added.

The third Test between Australia and India is scheduled to take place in Brisbane starting from December 14.