Ishan is a fantastic captain, fantastic around the boys, so I kind of stayed out of the way for the first seven games. Obviously, Daniel Vettori, the head coach and the whole coaching staff, they’re great as well, so it’s all very seamless, whether it’s Ishan or myself captaining, not much changes about how we go about it.
The last few seasons you and SRH in particular have been the pioneers in changing the way T20 cricket has been played. How difficult was it to imbibe that mindset in the group?
I think it’s a natural fit for T20 cricket. There’s 10 teams in this competition, if you just want to be average, you’re not going to make it, so you’ve got to do something that stands you out, makes you stand out from the pack. Look around at some of the talent, Abhishek (Sharma), Klaassen( Heinrich), Trav (Travis Head), Ishan (Kishan), these guys shouldn’t be told that they can only bat a certain way. You want to see them at their full flight.
A lot of my style is getting out of the way and let those guys go and play their natural game.
We see the kind of pitches, the runs that have been scored, every time it has been told that bowlers need to be upskilled. Do you really see how much a bowler can do, because balance has tilted one way?
I think that’s the new reality. You don’t have that many tools at your disposal. Cutters don’t normally grip, there’s not much swing, there’s not much bounce.
I don’t think it’s anything different to what it was a few years back. Batters have been a bit more aggressive and maybe starting to realise that they can score a bit quicker than what they previously thought. I think that’s been the biggest challenge.
As a bowler, you’ve just got to adapt to the new normal, find ways to defend yourself. Even if it’s the second over in a game, that might be a super important over you’ve got to try and defend.
How challenging is it to transition between formats, especially going from something as physically demanding as a five-Test series straight into the intensity of the IPL?
Particularly in Test cricket, we try and carve out a little bit of time before or post to make sure that you are ready for the Test matches but also get a little bit of recovery after them. They’re the ones that I find probably the easiest to adapt to. And then T20s, I feel like I’ve played enough over the last couple of years, so you’ve just got to mentally switch on and know what your style is.
How do you manage the toll it can take on the body and mind over such long stretches of cricket?
I’m a little bit used to it, but when we do have a little bit of a break, we’re not on holidays. We’re at home, going to the gym every couple of days, trying to get strength in so that when we do play a Test match, our body’s ready for the rigours of it.
When was the last time Pat Cummins went wow while watching a cricket or IPL match. Like taken aback by what you witnessed in a fixture.
Went wow? Probably seeing Sooryavanshi (Vaibhav) going nuts against me.
You are one of the most successful leaders for Australia. Bowlers do make great captains right? Would you want to see more of that?
The fast bowler’s always the smart ones, so it makes sense. I just think whether you’re a bowler, a keeper, whoever you are, I think your role on the team shouldn’t really matter whether you can be a captain or not.
For example, when I’m talking about my own bowling and my own plans, a lot of times I gravitate to the other bowlers because they’ve got really good insight on how they’re seeing the game, so I think it’s a pretty natural fit for bowlers to be captains.
You have got a young family as someone constantly travelling and performing under pressure, how important is routine and balance in your everyday life?
That’s the hardest thing about this lifestyle. I’ve spent a fair bit of time at home the last 12 months with my injuries, but they’ve come over to India, so our little four-year-old’s been to about 20 countries. You get very good at packing different bags and packing toys, but it’s fun. It’s hard work at times, but you always get home and you create some great memories.
