Being among the top-class bowlers at present in international cricket, Pat Cummins indeed brings the fear factor for the opponents of Kolkata Knight Riders in this IPL.

However, the Australia speedster, ranked No. 1 in Test cricket, knows well enough that he also has a big role ahead guiding KKR’s young pacers, especially the likes of Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi, both of whom have little or no experience in the IPL due to injuries.

Everything that these young quicks do at this stage sets up their foundation block for a long and healthy career, Cummins advised.

“It is really an easy thing to say and think of, but an 18-year-old missing games is actually something very hard to live with. You just need to have the trust that you might miss a season or two at the start of your career, but you might end up playing till the age of 36 or 37, as opposed to 31 or 32,” Cummins, serving room quarantine at present, said in an interview to kkr.in.

“Everything that you do during this time sets up the foundation block for a long and healthy career. Even when I was not playing, I used to hang out with my teammates.

“Ninety per cent of the time I love cricket because I can hang out with my mates.”

Powerplay overs could be Cummins’ ideal time to bowl, considering the amount of swing he can obtain. But the strike bowler is ready to bowl at any time of the game, also citing why he’s fond of the game’s shortest format.

“The thing I love about T20 cricket is it’s ultra-attacking, or at the death, it’s ultra-defensive. There is no middle ground. So in T20 cricket, if you are an all-out bowler, you get to bowl at any time of the match. That’s why I love the format,” he said.

Talking about his admiration for KKR head coach Brendon McCullum, Cummins said: “The first thing that I am really excited about is that I don’t have to bowl to him anymore... He was one of the best and most feared hitters I have come up against in my career.

“It can be the first ball of the match and he might be hitting over your head for a six. So I am happy that he is in my team as a coach and that I don’t have to bowl to him. ”