Pat Cummins: ‘Abhishek, Klaasen, Trav, Ishan shouldn’t be told they can only bat in a certain way. You want to see them in full flight’

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins and his teammates celebrate the wicket of Chennai Super Kings’ Karthik Sharma during the Indian Premier League 2026 match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday. (NOT a photo) New Delhi: From time to time, the cricketing world needs to be reminded that Pat Cummins remains exceptional at his main craft: fast bowling. Yet during this process Captain Cummins was somewhat overshadowed. Amidst the celebration of his extraordinary skills on the ball, his tactical brilliance as a captain has been flagrantly overlooked.But there is no denying that captain Cummins and bowler Cummins are inextricably linked.Even a score of 264 is not safe in the IPL these days and it was Cummins’ ultra-aggressive captaincy that shifted the paradigm of this tournament. He set the tone in his first season as captain in IPL 2024. And who could forget the chats with his teammates in the locker room where he famously said, “Everybody’s scared when they come up against us, and we have to blow some teams out of the water before they even get on the field.”SRH had a difficult campaign in 2025. It looked different this season and they are in the playoffs again. Although Cummins joined the campaign midway after recovering from a stress injury, SRH continued to play a “take-no-prisoners” style of cricket under stand-in captain Ishan Kishan, a brand that Cummins instilled in their DNA.In an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com on the sidelines of New Balance Gray Days 2026 and the opening of The New Retail Concept in Noida, Pat Cummins opens up about his captaincy style, SRH, the six-strike craze in T20 cricket, workload management, being an “all-format Vawvanshi cricketer” and why he got into watching Vawvanshib cricket.Edited excerpts:It turns out to be another strong season for you at SRH. How has the ride been so far?It was great. It’s a bit of a different season for me, I’ll be joining halfway through, but I felt really high energy and I’m really excited to be a part of it. The team played fantastically well, a strong contribution across the board which was really pleasing.

Ahmedabad, May 12 (ANI): Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins celebrates the wicket of Gujarat Titans’ Nishant Sindhu during the Indian Premier League 2026 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. (NOT a photo)

Joining the team in the middle and then keeping the momentum going, it looked like a seamless takeover from Ishan Kishan. Tell us a little about itIshan is a fantastic captain, fantastic around the boys, so I stayed away for the first seven games. Obviously Daniel Vettori, the head coach and the whole coaching staff are great as well, so it’s all very seamless, whether it’s Ishan or me as captain, there’s not a lot of change in how we go about it.In the last few seasons, you and SRH in particular have been the pioneers in changing the way T20 cricket is played. How difficult was it to imbibe this mindset in the group?I think he is a natural fit for T20 cricket. There are 10 teams in this competition, if you just want to be average you won’t make it, so you have to do something that makes you stand out from the crowd. Look at some of the talent around you, Abhishek (Sharma), Klaassen (Heinrich), Trav (Travis Head), Ishan (Kishan), these guys shouldn’t be told they can only bat a certain way. You want to see them in full flight.A lot of my style gets out of the way and I let those guys go and play their natural game.

I think it’s the new reality. You don’t have that many tools at your disposal. Cutters don’t normally catch, there’s not a lot of swing, there’s not a lot of bounce.

Pat Cummins on the T20 bowlers’ situation

We see the kind of pitching, scoring, every time it’s been said that pitchers need to upskill. Can you really see how much a pitcher can do because the balance has tipped one way?I think this is the new reality. You don’t have that many tools at your disposal. Cutters don’t normally catch, there’s not a lot of swing, there’s not a lot of bounce.I don’t think it’s any different than it was a few years ago. Batters are getting a little more aggressive and maybe starting to realize they can score a little faster than they previously thought. I think that was the biggest challenge.As a pitcher, you just have to adjust to the new normal, find ways to defend yourself. Even if it is the second over of the game, it can be very important before you have to try to defend.

SunriserscCaptain Pat Cummins

How does Pat Cummins prepare knowing he will be bowling with a 15-year-old teenager like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who will take on the bowlers right from the start?I think it keeps everyone on their toes.You think a batsman is going to play a certain way and you see someone like him come out and try to hit every ball for a six. You think, well, this is fun. How do I face this challenge? It’s mainly the way I look at it. When something falls on me, I’m like, okay, that’s interesting. How do I try to solve this problem.

I think the trend is you’re seeing players rest a few games more than previous generations because you’re trying to avoid big 12-month injuries.

Pat Cummins on the call to bring ann all-format bowler

Currently, the trend is that very few people would end up playing/mastering every format. Not only the batsmen but also the bowlers. There are very few left – you alone, jasprit bumrahMitchell Starc and Kagiso Rabada. Do you think each team/country will now look at formats in isolation and not possibly repeat players across formats?I would say not necessarily. I think the trend is that you’re seeing players rest a few games more than previous generations because you’re trying to avoid big 12-month injuries.Before this injury, I had played a lot of cricket for the last five years, a lot of balls, but I took a break from a few games here and there. There is just so much cricket. For example, next year is the ODI World Cup year.I am sure I will probably play more ODIs that year than in previous years. Like T20 year, I will probably play more T20.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 22: Pat Cummins takes part in training at Cricket Central on October 22, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo: Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

How demanding is the transition between formats, especially going from something as physically demanding as a five-Test series straight to the intensity of the IPL?In Test cricket in particular, we try to carve out a bit of time before or post to make sure you’re ready for the Test matches, but also to recover a bit after them. They are the ones I probably adapt to the easiest. And then T20s, I feel like I’ve played enough over the last couple of years, so you just have to switch on mentally and know what your style is.How do you manage the toll it can take on your body and mind during such long stretches of cricket?I’m kind of used to it, but when we have a little break, we’re not on vacation. We are at home, going to the gym every few days and trying to build up our strength so that when we play a Test match, our bodies are ready for the rigors of it.

I was like wow after seeing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi going crazy against me.

Pat Cummins

When was the last time Pat Cummins went wow while watching cricket or an IPL match. As if taken aback by what you witnessed in the game.Did wow go? I probably saw Sooryavanshi (Vaibhav) going crazy against me.You are one of Australia’s most successful leaders. Bowlers make great captains, don’t they? Would you like to see more?A fast bowler is always smart so it makes sense. I just think whether you’re a bowler, a goalkeeper, whoever you are, I think your role in the team shouldn’t matter if you can be the captain or not.For example, when I talk about my own bowling and my own plans, I often gravitate towards other bowlers because they have a really good insight into how they see the game, so I think it’s quite natural for bowlers to be captains.

What aspect of Pat Cummins’ game do you find most impressive?

Do you have a young family, as someone who constantly travels and performs under pressure, how important is routine and balance in your daily life?That’s the hardest part about this lifestyle. I’ve spent a lot of time at home with my injuries in the last 12 months, but they came to India, so our little four-year-old has been in about 20 countries. You get very good at packing different bags and toys, but it’s fun. Sometimes it’s hard work, but you always get home and make great memories.