Pat Cummins recalls his first visit to India, shares anecdote involving Sachin Tendulkar

Australian pacer Pat Cummins recently shared a vlog on his official YouTube channel, where he recalled the first time he visited India. Cummins revealed that he visited India for the time in 2011 to play in the Champions League T20. The Australian quick said he was absolutely mesmerized by the Indian crowd when he first came out to play as an 18-year-old. Cummins said it was the first time he saw the crowd go crazy when Sachin Tendulkar took the field. He said the crowd would make loud noises seeing David Warner or Shane Warne near the boundary.   

"The first time I landed in India was in 2011 to play the Champions League. I was playing for New South Wales and had just turned 18. That was the first time I had traveled overseas for cricket and growing up you hear all the stories of playing cricket in India and I just absolutely loved it. We played against some superstars, I think Sachin Tendulkar was playing in that tournament. As an 18-year-old coming here and hearing the crowd go crazy I couldn’t believe it. In the warm-up, David Warner and Shane Watson, who were on our side whenever they ran to the boundary, the crowd would just go crazy. It’s so different from Australia. We were here for three or four and I couldn’t get enough of it," Cummins said in his YouTube video. 

Cummins in IPL

Cummins, who plays for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has amassed a massive fan following ever since he has started to represent his country. The Australian pacer is known for his amazing bowling skills and his occasional power-hitting with the bat. Cummins rose to fame in India recently after he became the first foreign player to contribute to India's fight against COVID-19. Cummins had pledged $50,000 to tackle the oxygen shortage in the COVID ravaged country during the recently postponed IPL 2021. 

Cummins, along with other Australians participating in the IPL, left for the Maldives on May 7 after the postponement of the cash-rich tournament. The Australian stars were flown back to their country last week in a chartered flight arranged by the BCCI. The IPL was postponed after several players and support staff returned positive results from inside the bio-secure bubbles. The remainder of the IPL will likely be held in UAE in September this year. 

IMAGE: PTI/ANI