"Even when I was the coach, I would just admire his determination" - Ravi Shastri hails Australian cricketer for BGT 2024-25 heroics

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri expressed his admiration for Australian captain Pat Cummins, who led his side to a 3-1 win in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Shastri described the experienced Aussie cricketer as one with plenty of determination and willingness to keep competing.

With their emphatic triumph over India, Australia regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years. India got off to an impressive start in the five-match series, winning the Perth Test by 295 runs, but the hosts won three of the next four Tests to clinch the series.

While Jasprit Bumrah was outstanding for India with the ball, claiming 32 wickets at an average of 13.06, Cummins made crucial contributions with both ball and bat. He was also inspirational as the leader of the Australian side. On the ICC Review show, Shastri hailed the fast bowler:

“He amazes me. Even when I was the coach in the dressing room, I would just admire his determination, his willingness to compete. He never gives up and it's like that session after session – he'll come at you with the ball. And just when the chips were down, various times in the series, he rose to the occasion. And not just with the ball, but with the bat as well."

Cummins was the second-leading wicket-taker in BGT 2024-25, claiming 25 wickets at an average of 21.36, with one five-fer and one four-fer. With the bat, he scored 159 runs at an average of 19.87, with a best of 49.

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"It's been a really good turnaround" - Ricky Ponting on Australia's 3-1 BGT 2024-25 triumph

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting praised the hosts for making a stupendous comeback after losing the opening Test in Perth. Terming Australia's performance after the first Test as a really good turnaround, he said, while speaking on the ICC Review show:

“When you lose a Test match (in Perth) like that against another very strong opposition side, you do have to do a bit of soul searching and do a lot of talking. It's been a really good turnaround, especially when at the start of the series, I thought Australia would win 3-1, but I actually thought they'd win the early Test matches.

“I thought they'd win Perth, I thought they'd win Brisbane and probably Adelaide and find it harder in Melbourne and Sydney. The conditions that you think India would normally play better in, Australia's found a way to outplay them in Melbourne and Sydney. It was a really good turnaround and one that they'll be happy with,” the Aussie batting legend concluded.

After losing the Perth Test, the Aussies won the pink-ball Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets. They went on to beat India by 184 runs in Melbourne in the Boxing Day Test and six wickets in Sydney.