Star Australian player Pat Cummins picks a star Indian player as one of the toughest battersScroll down to read the full story.
Published: September 19, 2026, 8:21 PM IST
Share Article
https://www.india.com/sports/cricket/pat-cummins-picks-this-indian-star-as-toughest-batter-his-name-is-cheteshwar-pujara-8527708/
Pat Cummins picks a Indian star as toughest batter
Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has called Cheteshwar Pujara the toughest Indian batter he has bowled toHe described bowling against the former India batter as ‘death by a thousand paper cuts’, highlighting Pujara’s strong defence and patience.
Pat Cummins picks Cheteshwar Pujara as toughest Indian batter
During a recent interaction, Cummins was asked to name the toughest players he had faced from different countriesHe chose Pujara for India, saying the batter’s patience and determination made him very difficult to get out.
Cheteshwar Pujara was one of the hardest Indian batters for Australia to get outHe played an important part in India’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy wins in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
“India, I am going to say, PujaraHe is really hard to get outIt is just it is like death by a thousand paper cutsHappy to face 100 dot balls if he wanted toHe isn’t going to give you a chance,” Cummins said while speaking to Prime Video Sport.
Cummins names Saeed Ajmal, Cook, de Villiers and other tough opponents
For Pakistan, Cummins chose former spinner Saeed Ajmal as one of the toughest players he facedHe praised Ajmal’s bowling style and called him a unique bowler who was difficult to read and handle.
“Pakistan, Saeed AjmalIt was like the last ball of the over; I walked in, Saeed Ajmal just goes and I went, what? Clean bowledI have never seen anything like that,” Cummins said.
Cummins also picked some of the biggest names from other teams as tough opponentsHis choices included Alastair Cook from England, AB de Villiers from South Africa, Brendon McCullum from New Zealand, Tillakaratne Dilshan from Sri Lanka and Chris Gayle from the West Indies.
Pat Cummins has seriously rubbed shoulders with cricketing greatness in his career #PatCummins #ChrisGayle #ABDeVilliers #Cricket #UniverseBoss pic.twitter.com/11COv9WIFa
— Prime Video Sport AUNZ (@pvsportaunz) September 18, 2026
Cummins’ list only included players who have already retired from international cricketPujara retired from international cricket in 2025 after a successful Test career for IndiaHe scored 7,195 runs in 103 Tests at an average of 43.6, with 19 centuries and 35 fiftiesHe also played five ODIs for India, scoring 51 runs in total.
