"At his best, he is one of scariest for bowlers": Cummins backs Marnus following loss to India

Following his team's loss to India in the first Perth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australia skipper Pat Cummins expressed his support for out-of-form Marnus Labuschagne and hinted that there would not be any changes in the team heading into the Adelaide Test.

Cummins, the skipper who silenced billions of Indians across the world following a World Cup final win against India last year, got the taste of his own medicine from another fast-bowling captain Jasprit Bumrah as India humbled the 2023 World Test Championship title holders by 295 runs at Perth's Optus Stadium.

"Marnus, along with few other guys in the team, did not have the week that we would have wanted. It is no secret how hard the batter, particularly Marnus, work hard in the nets. He is always trying to find those small marginal gains," Cummins said, according to ICC.

"This week, there will be a lot of conversations with the coaches around his approach and what he could be doing differently. We know he is a class player. Him at his best is one of the scariest propositions for the opposition bowlers to bowl at," he added.

Marnus Labuschagne, in particular, has faced questions about his recent form after registering single-digit scores of 2 and 3 in the match. His performance has been inconsistent lately, with an average of just 31.75 in 19 matches since 2023, a sharp decline from his career average of 48.45.

The action now shifts to Adelaide for the Day-Night pink-ball Test, starting December 6. Despite the heavy defeat, Cummins rallied belief in the team, indicating that they would not be making wholesale changes and were confident in their ability to bounce back.

"I think after a Test you look at what you think your best match-up is. This is a sample size of one," he said.

"Four or five days ago we thought this was our best XI. So I dare say ... there would not be many changes going into Adelaide, but I am not a selector. I'm sure they will get together after the game. We have got a bit of work to do over the next 10 days," he added.

Cummins also hailed the 'Player of the Match' and Indian pace spearhead Bumrah as the "Best in the World" for his fine spell of eight wickets, which also included a first-innings five-wicket haul.

"I thought he bowled really well. He is one of the best in the world. He is always going to be a challenge, so we got to come up with ways to combat that. I thought particularly that Day 1, his spell, the spell from the Indian guys, made it tricky for our team to navigate through," said Cummins.

"He bowled well through the game, like he does most games. I think there were a fair few things [that went wrong for Australia]. Getting India all out for 150 placed us quite well. Obviously, the game sped up that night on Day 1, they bowled terrifically well and put a dent into us."

"Once the pitch started to slow down a little a bit, obviously we were not well placed back out on the field and could not get the breakthroughs. I thought they played really well. Just not much went our way this game," he concluded.

In the match, India won the toss and opted to bat first. However, they were dismissed for just 150 runs, with Nitish Kumar Reddy (41 off 59 balls, six fours and a six) and Rishabh Pant (37 off 78 balls, three fours and a six) playing crucial knocks and adding a vital 48-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

Josh Hazlewood (4/29) was the standout bowler for Australia, with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, and Mitchell Starc claiming two wickets each. Australia's reply was even worse, as they were reduced to 79/9 before Mitchell Starc (26) and Alex Carey (21) took the total to 104, giving India a slender lead of 46 runs. Jasprit Bumrah starred for India with figures of 5/30 in 18 overs, while debutant Harshit Rana impressed with 3/48.

In second innings, India amassed a massive lead. KL Rahul (77 off 176 balls, five fours) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (161 off 297 balls, 15 fours and three sixes) put up a 201-run opening partnership. Despite losing quick wickets, an unbeaten 100 by Virat Kohli (143 balls, eight fours and two sixes), supported by Washington Sundar (29 off 94 balls, one six) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (38* off 27 balls, three fours and two sixes), propelled India to 487/6 declared, setting Australia a daunting target of 534 runs.

Nathan Lyon (2/96) was the best bowler for Australia, with Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood taking one wicket each. At stumps on Day 3, Australia were 12/3, with Bumrah taking two wickets and Mohammed Siraj one. On Day 4, despite valiant efforts from Travis Head (89 off 101 balls, eight fours) and Mitchell Marsh (47 off 67 balls, three fours and two sixes), Australia were bowled out for 238, giving India a resounding 295-run victory.

Bumrah (3/42) and Siraj (3/51) led the bowling in the second innings, while Washington Sundar took two wickets, and Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana picked one each. Stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah was named 'Player of the Match' for his eight wickets in the game. (ANI)