'We've got to get into the grind': Pat Cummins urges Australia to move beyond individual brilliance

Australia have often thrived on explosive individual performances, but Pat Cummins wants his team to prepare for a very different kind of Test challenge against South Africa: one where patience, discipline and the ability to grind out sessions could matter more than spectacular moments.With the first Test beginning at Kingsmead on Friday, Cummins acknowledged that Australia cannot always rely on a Travis Head hundred or a Mitchell Starc burst to swing matches in their favour. With conditions expected to fluctuate on a traditionally tricky Durban surface, the captain believes his side must be ready to adapt to whatever the game throws at them.‘It might not be the glamorous stuff’Australia's recent Test cricket has often been fast-paced. Their last Test against Bangladesh in August finished inside two days, while two of the five Ashes Tests against England last summer also ended within two days. Cummins feels that has meant his side has not had enough opportunities to practise grinding their way through long, attritional contests."For the batsmen and for the bowling group as well, getting into that grind is important. We haven't played too many of those kinds of Test matches in the last few years, particularly in Australia," Cummins said at his pre-match press conference."They've been quite fast-paced. A lot of our success has come off big moments, be it a Travis Head century or Starcy (fast bowler Mitchell Starc) running through the top order," he added.From big moments to sustained pressureCummins knows those match-winning bursts remain part of Australia's identity, but he wants his players to be comfortable when there are no quick breakthroughs or whirlwind innings."I think we've got to get a little bit better, and we can get a bit better getting into the grind, It might not be the glamorous stuff, but it's that grinding out of sessions, not these whirlwind innings at times. Whatever tempo gets thrown at us or what the game needs, we must make sure we match that," he said.Australia yet to finalise XIAustralia have also delayed naming their playing XI, with Cummins revealing that the selectors wanted another look at the Kingsmead surface before making the final call."We don't know our team at this stage; the selectors will come down here and we'll just want to have one more look at the ground," he said.The visitors have some selection decisions to make, particularly in the batting department. Cameron Green is unavailable, while Josh Inglis is also absent, leaving Australia to weigh up different combinations."We're trying to work out what we think is the best batting line-up for these conditions. Obviously, Cam Green's out and Josh Inglis isn't here as well," Cummins said.‘Everyone brings something different’Rather than simply replacing the missing players like-for-like, Cummins suggested Australia are considering how different combinations could best suit the conditions."So that's a couple of changes that we've got to match up. What are the conditions going to throw at us? We've got a full squad. Everyone brings something a little bit different and it's just trying to work out what we think the best combinations are," he added.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.