Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has taken an eight-week break to rejuvenate himself for his bid to lift the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India later this year.
Cummins, who recently returned from the United States after completing his first Major League Cricket (MLC) appearance, has taken a break to prepare for the white-ball tour of England next month, a move that will allow him time to manage his workload and get fit ahead of a busy summer.
“Anyone who comes back after a break feels a little bit more refreshed and never regrets it,” Cummins said. Fox Sports.
“I’ve basically been bowling non-stop since the World Test Championship final, which was almost 18 months ago. So I’ve taken a complete break from bowling for seven or eight weeks to allow my body to recover and then start building up again for the summer. That way I can bowl a little longer, it’s a little easier to maintain the pace and I’m less prone to injury,” he added.
Cummins has had a busy 12 months since breaking his wrist at the end of England’s Ashes season.
He took part in the ODI series against India, the ODI World Cup which they won, the three Test matches against Pakistan, the two Test matches against West Indies, the T20 tour of New Zealand, the two Test matches against New Zealand, the Indian Premier League, the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the MLC tournament.
“I’m really sore today after a week in the gym. My hamstring, even my ankles, have built up a bit after months of bowling, but you can’t really heal them in the middle of the season,” the 31-year-old said.
“I’ll be doing a lot of gym work, running, and rehab, which is really hard to do in the middle of the season.”
This year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be played over five Test matches. Australia has not won the trophy since 2017, while India has won four consecutive series, including historic victories on Australian soil in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
And Cummins is desperate to lift a trophy as captain this summer.
“It’s a trophy I’ve never won before. It’s a trophy a lot of people in our group haven’t won before,” Cummins said.
“We have been phenomenal as a Test group over the last few years. We convince ourselves that we can win every series at home. I think we have to try to get to the top of the group. That’s what’s left for us this summer. They (India) are a really good team. We’ve played them quite a lot and know them really well, but I also think we’re in a really good position,” he added.
Meanwhile, Cummins has no intention of quitting T20 cricket for now and wants to help Australia win gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where cricket will make its debut at the quadrennial event.
“We were all excited to watch the Olympics, and we wanted to be right in the middle of it,” Cummins said.
“I’d like to be there (at LA28). I’m going to be about 35, so I’d like to be there or something like that. It seems so far away right now, honestly. When we get closer and start building it, I think everyone’s going to be a little more excited,” he said.
