India Vs Australia: Pat Cummins Hails Jasprit Bumrah As 'Class Act'

Having seen Jasprit Bumrah in action from close quarters, Australia all-rounder Pat Cummins on Tuesday hailed the Indian pacer as a "class act".

Cummins, who scored the winning runs in the first Twenty20 International, said that Bumrah's pace and accuracy have made the Indian a serious threat in all three formats of the game.

"He is obviously a class act. Two of the basics he does really well is that he bowls fast and he bowls accurately. Anyone who does that in world cricket will pose a real challenge for the batsmen. He has got a great slower ball, seems to have a great cricketing brain, executes his skills really well," Cummins said on the eve of the second and final T20I match at Bengaluru.

Bumrah, regarded as the best death bowler today, brought back India into the game by taking two wickets in the 19th over in which he conceded just two runs.

"He has done really well in all three formats and the one to watch out for," added the Aussie speedster.

In Vizag on Sunday, Cummins starred with the bat after Bumrah produced that brilliant over to leave the Aussies needing 14 runs from the last over.

Cummins has been Australia's standout fast bowler over the last 12 months and has even made some useful contributions with the bat.

"I haven't seen too many memes (of myself on social media) but really happy with how my game is going at the moment. So many things have fallen into place. Playing quite consistent cricket has helped," Cummins said.

In the last over bowled by Umesh Yadav, Cummins hit the fifth ball for a four then took a double off the last delivery to register a three-wicket win in the last ball.

The 25-year-old from Sydney himself has become invaluable for his team after maintaining his fitness over the past two seasons. He did well in the home Test series against India though the hosts lost before blowing away Sri Lanka.

"I have not played too much white ball cricket, so looking forward to more of it. It is a bigger challenge with the ball not swinging as much as the red ball."

He has also been involved with some tense finishes including the one in the last game. Though he doesn't consider himself as a proper batsman yet, Cummins relishes the challenge of closing out games.

"I am pretty happy batting down at 8 or 9. I think my role in the team is just to survive and bat extra time. Hopefully, I have got a batsman at the other end who can really cash in, especially in Tests. I might have big shots like a lot of other batsmen, and I have really enjoyed it," he said.

"Anyway, you can't just prepare for a game as a bowler, you got to prepare for everything."

Talking about thriving in tense moments, Cummins said: "You play international sport because you want to be in moments where you can win a game. T20 is a great format, almost feels like every second or third, you are either in a position to win a game or the game is on the line.

"A lot of players off the field get terribly nervous watching but once you are out on the field, you know you are in control, you have done that in the past. I am more relaxed when I am out there, when I am in the moment."

Australia are a game away from a series win in India and if that happens, "it will be a huge result", feels Cummins.

"It (leading a series) has not happened for us in a while in an overseas series. Especially in a place like India which is so foreign to Australian conditions, against one of the best sides in the world. It will be a huge result for us, yeah. But we know will have to really play well to beat them tomorrow."

Cummins loved the bowler-friendly conditions in Vizag but is expecting more runs from the surface at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

"It has been a funny wicket in the last couple of years. First time I came to Bangalore 7-8 years ago during the IPL, it was a 220 wicket. Over the years, it has slowed down," he said.

"Vizag was low scoring but a great game. Loved the surface there. In T20s you prepare for yorkers, slower balls, but over there you knew good balls were going to be good enough. The ball felt like swinging a little bit in the end," he added.

(With PTI inputs)