Power-hitter Tim David has taken a big leap from T20 leagues to the Australia dressing room. And while he must be excited at this opportunity, his team members too are equally eager to find out how his batting skills take shape in the international arena.
With Marcus Stoinis ruled out because of a side strain, the Singapore-born David is all set for his much-anticipated international debut against India in the upcoming three-match series against India. Pace spearhead and Test captain Pat Cummins looks forward to see the 6-feet 5-inches David in action soon. “We are here in Mohali, we just had our first training session as a team out there on the oval. Really good session, Great to see the new face, on his first ever Aussie tour — Tim David around. He hit a lot of long balls. I can’t wait to see him in action,” Cummins said.
The series begins in Mohali on Tuesday, with the other two matches to be hosted by Nagpur and Hyderabad. The 26-year-old David was snapped up by Mumbai Indians for Rs 8.25 crore at the IPL auction and he repaid the franchise with some fine performances. While Mumbai as a team had a forgettable season finishing at the bottom of the table, David accumulated 186 runs at a strike rate of 216.28 with his power-hitting.
Terming David the “X factor”, Cummins said: “(He) goes about it slightly differently, so look forward to it. “He has been right up there with the best in the world, batting in the middle-order of T20 cricket is a really tough spot to bat. “You see most run-scorers are opening the batting or batting in the top-order (in T20s).It is hard to be consistent when there are spin bowlers bowling and he has been fantastic. If he gets his chance, hopefully he can continue doing what he has been doing in the domesticT20 league,” he added.
Overall, Cummins is happy that he will be playing in front of packed stadiums in India. “Great to be back in India for the first time since Covid. Can’t wait to see all the fans. They are always crazy over here. Hopefully, some packed stadiums here, It’s always a lot of fun. You feel like a billion people are watching, so I can’t wait for it.” The pacer also expects Virat Kohli to do well in the series after his recent return to form. “I saw Virat Kohli, he scored a hundred, yeah he’s a class player, he was always going to return to form at some point in time. He’s going to be a challenge this next week,” Cummins said.
(Written with inputs from PTI)
