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IPL 2020: Happy that I don't have to bowl to McCullum anymore: Pat Cummins

Kolkata Knight Riders’ star player Pat Cummins, who is serving his time in quarantine, opened up about the upcoming season, in an interview in the KKR website.

IPL 2020: Happy that I dont have to bowl to McCullum anymore: Pat Cummins

Bengaluru, Sept. 20: Kolkata Knight Riders’ star player Pat Cummins, who is serving his time in quarantine, opened up about the upcoming season, in an interview in the KKR website.

In the freewheeling interview, Cummins said that he is happy that McCullum is the coach and he would not have to face him on the pitch.

When one talks about McCullum and the IPL, it takes you back to the inaugural season when the Kiwi set the stage on fire with a spectacular 158 n.o. But that was 12 years back! Now McCullum is the chief coach of KKR and Cummins is relieved that he doesn’t have to face him on the field.

"The first thing that I am really excited about is that I don’t have to bowl to him (McCullum) anymore! He was one of the best and most feared hitters I have come up against in my career," Cummins was quoted as saying by KKR website.

Cummins said he always admired the former New Zealand captain's aggressive approach. "It can be the first ball of the match and he might be hitting over your head for a six! So, I am happy that he is in my team as a coach and that I don’t have to bowl to him. He is someone I really admire for his fire."

"Whether it was his stint as the captain of the New Zealand team or his approach in the IPL clashes, I just love the way he goes about it. He really wants to put on the show and take the game on," Cummins said.

Cummins became the most expensive foreign buy in IPL history in last year's auction after KKR picked him for Rs 15.5 crore. The world number one Test bowler will spearhead KKR's pace attack which will also have talented Indian youngsters like Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna and Sandeep Warrier.

Nagarkoti will return to action after a lengthy injury lay-off for two seasons and Cummins said he would tell him to "be patient".

"It is really an easy thing to say and think of but an 18-year-old missing games is actually a very hard thing to live with. You just need to have the trust that you might miss a season or two at the start of your career but you might end up playing till the age of 36 or 37, as opposed to 31 or 32," said Cummins.

"Everything that you do during this time, sets up the foundation block for a long and healthy career. Even when I was not playing, I used to hang out with my teammates. 90% of the time I love cricket because I can hang out with my mates,” signed off the pacer.

(With inputs from PTI)

Story first published: Sunday, September 20, 2020, 19:53 [IST]
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