Pat Cummins warned India that Australia are pumped up and back to their best as they look to carry the momentum from a commanding 10-wicket win on Sunday into the next Test in Brisbane.
After being thumped by 295 runs in Perth, the hosts responded emphatically at Adelaide to wipe out Rohit Sharma’s men inside three days and leave the five-match series evenly poised at 1-1.
They did so without injured frontline bowler Josh Hazlewood, who appears on track to play the third Test at the Gabba starting on Saturday.
“Great week, great to level the series. You know, I think we were back to our best,” said skipper Cummins, who took 5-57 and seven wickets for the match.
“That’s the kind of team that I remember, and how we want to play our cricket. So really satisfying.”
The defeat in Perth and negative media coverage made their eighth consecutive pink-ball win in Adelaide taste even better, he added.
“I think being one down, no doubt there’s a little bit more on it, trying to level up the series,” he said.
“And, you know, you get a bit more pumped up for wickets. It’s a big series, every Test match is big, every wicket is pretty big. So it’s pretty pumped out there.”
After bowling out India for 180 in the first innings, Australia slammed 337 in reply to pile pressure on the visitors, with Travis Head’s whirlwind 140 a game-changer.
Cummins said it was a luxury having a weapon like him in the middle order.
“It feels like every time he walks out the game’s kind of in the balance, it can go one of two ways,” he said.
“And you know, within the space of a session or so, he really took the game out of their hands and just put the pressure right back onto the opposition.
“If he feels like there’s a small opportunity, he’ll up the ante… so amazing and he’s done it time and time again for us in many different formats. He’s super-impressive.”
