Back scans cast doubt on Pat Cummins’ short-term return, a blow for Australia but a lift for Kohli and Rohit before the India series.
Pat Cummins’ back scans haven’t brought great news for Australia. The Test skipper is in doubt for the white-ball run against India starting October 19, and even the Ashes, still seven weeks away, has selectors chewing fingernails.
The Sydney Morning Herald says Cummins had scans on Monday, with results being picked over by Cricket Australia’s medical staff. A call will take time, but the early signs aren’t great. He’s already scratched from the New Zealand T20s in October. The India tour that follows — five T20s, three ODIs — looks a long shot.
The bigger worry sits further down the road. November 21, Perth, the first Ashes Test. Cummins has carried back niggles before, but this one arrived despite a light bowling load in the West Indies. That’s what has CA spooked.
For India, the story flips. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma return after a long break, and Cummins’ absence is the kind of boost they’ll take. Rohit has fallen to him five times in their last meetings. Kohli too has been undone often in Tests. Without Cummins, the weight tilts a fraction back India’s way.
And if this really is the farewell series for Kohli and Rohit, as one report hinted, then missing Australia’s best quick adds another twist. Australia thinks long-term with the Ashes. India’s eyes are on the here and now.