Cricket World Cup 2023 | 'Good thing we've played them a lot': Pat Cummins says IPL experience will help Aussies to counter India

Australia skipper Pat Cummins has stated that the Australian players have experience of playing on Indian pitches and that would be fruitful for the team in the World Cup.

Chennai: Australian captain Pat Cummins, on Saturday, opined that past experiences of playing against the Indian spinners will turn out to be handy for the Australian side in their World Cup opener scheduled on Sunday.

India recently played an ODI series against Australia where the 'Men in Blue' emerged triumphant by 2-1. Thus, the Australian team can take some leanings from the series and implement it in the marquee tournament. Aussies will face a tough challenge from India as the hosts have three spinners - Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.

"They're a good bowling line-up, especially in home conditions. So, they're going to be challenging, The good thing is that we've played them a lot. So, our batters will have their own plans. We've had success against them a few times. They've bowled well against us a few times as well," Pat Cummins said in the pre-match press conference here on Saturday.

Also, Australian players have plenty of experience playing on Indian surfaces in the Indian Premier League. Cummins thinks that it will be handy for the players while appearing in the World Cup.

"It's a ground (MA Chidambaram) we've played quite often. It feels like whenever we tour India, there seems to be a game here. A few of the guys have played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as well, or you know, a fair bit here for IPL. So, it may serve us well," the right-arm pacer added.

All-rounder Glenn Maxwell conceded 40 runs and took four wickets which played a key role in Australia beating India in the third ODI of the recently held bilateral series in Rajkot. Cummins hoped that Maxwell would play a key role with the bat as well as the ball.

"We've seen Max, he's a front-line spin bowler. In the 2015 World Cup, he was the sole spinner in basically every single match. I thought he bowed really well in that third ODI against India (in Rajkot). So, yeah, we've got 20 overs of spin out there if we need it. He's got an amazing knack of if he misses out with the bat, he contributes with the ball and vice-versa. No doubt, expecting a big tournament from Maxi," Pat Cummins concluded.