Australian cricket team’s low-key aggression against India during the 2018-19 Test series was more about winning back fans rather than protect their IPL contracts, said pace spearhead Pat Cummins, rejecting former skipper Michael Clarke’s contentious claims.

The India series was only Australia’s second Test series after the ball tampering controversy that led to Steve Smith and David Warner’s suspensions and an overall criticism of their win-at-all-cost mentality.

“I think probably a bigger factor was six months before leading into that Indian series the media and everyone commentating on the Aussie cricket team were pretty clear in the direction they wanted the Aussie team to go and that was playing a little bit less aggressively out on the field,” Cummins told the BBC.

However, he didn’t rule out that some players might have harboured thoughts about Clarke’s assumption that they “sucked up to” Indian skipper Virat Kohli in fear of losing out on IPL pay-checks.

“I’d say that would have been a bigger factor than trying to win or lose friends out on the cricket field. But you never know, that might have been a factor for some players,” he said.

Australia skipper Tim Paine also rubbished Clarke’s claims, saying the Australian team avoided provoking “any fight” with Kohli as part of their strategy to keep the Indian captain’s bat quiet and not a ploy to save IPL contracts.

‘Willing to play IPL behind closed doors’

The costliest foreign player in the Indian Premier League, Pat Cummins said he would be willing to play in the T20 event without fans as it would help bring a sense of normality in a world ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The IPL was originally scheduled to start on March 29 in Mumbai but it was postponed to April 15.

Asked whether he would support games without fans, Cummins said, “Of course, whatever it takes to try and get cricket up and play those big events safely.”

The 26-year-old Cummins became the costliest foreign player in the league after Kolkata Knight Riders picked him up for Rs 15.5 crore last December at the auction. “They scream every single ball whether it’s a six or a wicket, so that atmosphere is something that we love about playing in India,” he said. “...but I have no doubt it will be a great event even if it has to be played without crowds.” — PTI