Pat Cummins speaks highly of Indian KKR teammate, says 'we all have soft spot for him'

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Pat Cummins has heaped praise on fellow teammate Rahul Tripathi, calling him the "best person you can imagine". KKR took to its official Twitter handle to share Cummins' comments about Tripathi. While talking about Tripathi's influence in the dressing room, Cummins said that everyone in the team has a soft corner for him because of his cheerful nature. "Rahul Tripathi is always smiling, always happy. He is just the best person you can imagine. I think we have all got a soft spot for him," KKR quoted Cummins as saying. 

Cummins in IPl 2021

Cummins and the rest of the IPL stars had to leave mid-season after the BCCI announced the postponement of IPL 2021 due to the COVID-19 crisis. Cummins' team KKR was first to report COVID-19 infections from inside the bio-secure bubble of IPL, following which few other franchises returned positive cases and prompted BCCI to cancel the league. Before the postponement of the tournament was announced, Cummins had pledged $50,000 to tackle the oxygen crisis in India. Cummins was one of the first foreign players from the IPL to contribute to the crisis in India, which also earned a lot of praise from the general public. 

Cummins, along with other Australians playing in the IPL, left for the Maldives on May 7. The Australian contingent and other foreign players, including Chris Gayle, are staying in the Maldives under quarantine. According to reports, the Australians and other IPL recruits are expected to wait in the Maldives until at least May 15, before they leave for their respective countries. Meanwhile, English, South African, and players of other nationalities have already reached their home countries, where they are either quarantining at home or hotel.   

India is currently the hotbed of COVID-19 with more than 3 lakh fresh cases being reported every day for the past couple of weeks. India registered over 3,60,000 infections on May 12 and saw over 4,000 people lose their lives due to the deadly disease. The country is also suffering from an oxygen crisis, which has triggered a major concern across the country as many people are losing lives because of the shortage.  

(Image Credit: BCCI)