Not Kohli, Rohit! Pat Cummins Picks India's X-Factor For Border-Gavaskar Series

Cummins ignores Kohli, Rohit [Source: PTI]

The India Vs Australia, Border-Gavaskar series is just around the corner as the top two teams in the WTC points table eye a berth in the WTC finals, set to take place in June, next year. Ahead of the much-anticipated India series, Aussie skipper, Pat Cummins has started to play the mind-games.

While middle-order batter, Marnus Labuschagne targeted Kohli, Cummins sided with Rishabh Pant and praised the Indian batters' dynamism and called him the X-factor who can decide the fate of the series.

Cummins ignored Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, and identified Rishabh Pant as India's "X-factor," but stressed that his team is focused on rectifying the setbacks from four consecutive series defeats to India.

"Rishabh had a great series here in Australia last time. He’s always a bit of that X-factor in the middle order," he said.

"You never quite know what you're going to get, which is exciting, even as the opposition. And he's always got something to say behind the stumps -- he’s very funny, makes me laugh."

Not only Cummins, but in the past, several other Australian players have picked Pant as the player to watch out for on the upcoming Australian tour.

Match-winner Pant has stellar record Vs Australia

Alongside Virat Kohli, Pant has a stellar Test record against Australia. He has won countless matches on his own and the last time India won a Test series against Australia, Down Under, Pant played a major role.

In the deciding match at Gabba, India needed to chase more than 300-plus runs and Pant played the innings of his life to stay unbeaten at 89. Moreover, he has accumulated 624 runs in 7 matches, at an average of 62.40. These are stellar records and interestingly, all his runs against the Aussies have come in their backyard.

(Inputs from PTI)

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