Pat Cummins concedes Australia have work to do following India thrashing

Australia struggled significantly in Perth and has much to improve upon ahead of the second Test in Adelaide, stated captain Pat Cummins following a 295-run defeat to India in the first Test on Monday.

Jasprit Bumrah, who captained in the absence of Rohit Sharma, was named man of the match after claiming eight wickets, as Australia was dismissed for scores of 104 and 238.

"Experiencing a loss of this magnitude is painful. It’s never a pleasant feeling when an opposing team declares against you," Cummins remarked to reporters, alluding to India's declaration of 487-6 in their third innings, which set Australia a daunting target of 534 runs.

"The primary challenge now is to determine how we can recover... We are clearly not performing at our best, and there is much to address."

While the Australian bowlers performed admirably on the first day, restricting the visitors to 150 runs, the batting lineup faltered, collapsing to 67-7 in a single session before being all out for 104.

Cummins, however, defended his batting unit, noting that they have often rescued the bowlers from difficult situations in the past.

Marnus Labuschagne is under scrutiny after being dismissed lbw on two occasions, managing only two runs off 52 balls and subsequently scoring a duck.

"When he is at his peak, he poses a significant challenge for opposing bowlers," Cummins commented.

"Marnus, along with several others, did not perform to the level we had hoped for."

Significant changes to the team are unlikely, as Australia has not won a home series after losing the opening Test since the West Indies' tour in 1968-69.

"This is just one match. Five days ago, we believed this was our strongest eleven, so I would expect minimal changes for Adelaide, although I am not a selector," the captain noted.

The match slipped away from Australia largely due to the impressive performances of 22-year-old opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored 161, and Virat Kohli, who contributed an unbeaten 100, ending a 16-month wait for a century.

"We struggled to secure breakthroughs; I thought they played exceptionally well. Not much went our way in this match," Cummins concluded.

Certain plans appeared promising, although they did not materialize immediately; others were less effective. However, I believe valuable insights were obtained that we can apply throughout the remainder of the series.

SportsLigue