Australia captain Pat Cummins shared his all-time record for India vs Australia ahead of the white-ball series between the two teams scheduled to begin on Sunday, October 19. Cummins surprisingly left out Virat Kohli, sparking a debate among fans over the exclusion of one of the greatest ODI players.
Australia will host India in a three-match ODI series starting October 19 at Perth’s Optus Stadium. The remaining matches are scheduled to be held in Adelaide on October 23rd and Sydney on October 25th. The Indian side will be led by Shubman Gill, but Pat Cummins will be absent due to a back injury.
Pat Cummins named in India-Australia ODI XI All-Time Players
Pat Cummins has revealed his best ever ODI XI for India-Australia on Star Sports. Notably, they chose cricketers who have already retired from international ODIs, thus excluding current stars such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
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Cummins has chosen the left-right combination of David Warner and Sachin Tendulkar for the opening slot. Warner played 161 ODIs for Australia and scored 6,932 runs, while Tendulkar scored 18,426 runs in 463 matches, including 49 centuries.
Cummins selected Ricky Ponting, Steve Smith, Shane Watson and Michael Bevan in his middle order. Ponting led Australia to multiple ODI World Cups and scored 13,704 runs in 375 matches with 30 centuries.
Pat Cummins names MS Dhoni as wicketkeeper-batsman in India-Australia’s highest-ever ODI XI
Cummins named former India captain MS Dhoni as the number 7 wicketkeeper and batsman. Dhoni, who led India to the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy wins, has scored 10,773 runs in 350 ODIs, including 10 centuries.
He selected three specialist pacers and one spinner from the bowling line-up. He chose Brett Lee who took 380 wickets with a nine five-wicket haul. The fast bowlers included Shane Warne, who took 293 wickets in 194 ODIs and is considered one of Australia’s greatest spinners.
Cummins achieved the best result along with pacers Zaheer Khan and Glenn McGrath. Zaheer, who helped India win the 2011 World Cup, took 282 ODI wickets while McGrath finished his career with 381.
Pat Cummins to miss limited-overs series against India
The 32-year-old will miss the upcoming limited-overs series against India after sustaining a lower back strain injury during the Test series against West Indies in July. He continues to recover from injury and has captained the ODI team in Mitchell Marsh’s absence.
Cummins’ participation in the Ashes, which starts on November 21st, is also uncertain. He has already been ruled out of the first Test and could miss the extra match against England if he does not recover.
Steve Smith is expected to lead Australia in the opening Ashes Test, while Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc will carry the bulk of Australia’s summer pace bowling duties.
Cummins’ best ever India-Australia ODI XI: David Warner, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Steve Smith, Shane Watson, michael bevanMS Dhoni, Brett Lee, Shane Warne, Zaheer Khan, Glenn McGrath.
Also read: Pat Cummins reveals best Test XI