Silence of crowd when Virat got out was most satisfying: Cummins
Ahmedabad (PTI): The deafening silence of over 90,000 supporters at the Narendra Modi Stadium, as Pat Cummins snuffed out the peerless Virat Kohli in the World Cup final, was perhaps the "sweetest moment" the Australian skipper has ever experienced on a cricket field.
After becoming the fifth Australian captain to secure his country's sixth ODI World Cup here on Sunday, Cummins admitted that he has "fallen in love with 50-over format all over again".
He got Kohli, who was well-set on 54, with a delivery that had an extra bounce and the premier India batter played on trying to jab it towards the covers.
"Yeah, I think so," Cummins nodded in affirmative when asked if the silence was his sweetest experience on a cricket field.
In fact, going against their custom, the Aussies had a second huddle to just acknowledge how big the moment in the game it was.
"We did take a second in the huddle just to acknowledge the silence that was going around the crowd. It just felt like it was one of those days where it was all made for him to score another hundred like he normally does and that was satisfying," Cummins said.
He believes that ODI World Cup is here to stay as it hs got its own legacy and also players have their stories to tell and perhaps, it is the bilateral series that become a problem.
"I must say, maybe because we won, I did fall in love with ODI again this World Cup. I think the scenario where every game really matters, it does mean a bit different to just a bilateral," he acknowledged.
"I mean, the World Cup's got such rich history, I'm sure it's going to be around for a long time. Yeah, there's so many wonderful games, so many wonderful stories within this last couple of months. So, I think there's definitely a place."
He lost his mother in March, during a tour of India, which he had to curtail.
He returned, leading the country to the World Test Championship title, secured the coveted Ashes, and now clinched what he termed the "pinnacle of this sport".
Australia's 'Captain Marvel' has accomplished it all.
"Yeah, I mean at this moment just incredibly proud really of the year we've had. I have obviously had a really big year," he said.
He spoke about the sacrifices made by everyone in the team and their families.
"I know my family at home is watching, just got a message from dad saying he's had a lot of 4am wake ups, not going to bed until 4am, so he's as pumped as anything. So yeah, you sacrifice a lot to play for Australia."
But this was also about going through all of that in search of this day.
"Everyone in the team has and we've spent a lot of this year away but we do it for these moments and my wife and two girls are probably asleep, but they're all pumped, they do the journey with us.
"So, everyone's got their own story, but there's a lot of proud people out there in our team," Cummins said.
From his hotel room, he saw Indian supporters, all clad in blue, walk towards the stadium. He felt a sense of nervous energy, pacing up and down in his hotel room.
"I always like to say I'm pretty relaxed but I was a little bit nervous this morning," he admitted.
"Just pacing around, waiting for it to start, seeing the sea of blue in the hotel getting closer to the ground.
"Observing the sea of blue, cars parked with selfie cameras out, you knew you were walking into something pretty special," Cummins described his experience before the game.
"And then to walk out for the toss and just see 130,000 blue Indian shirts, it's an experience you'll never forget. Awesome day and the good thing was they weren't too noisy for most of it," he said.
The official attendance for the match was 92,543.
Head gamble pays off
Amid all the emotions, the skipper spoke about Travis Head, the man, who always messes with India, be it the WTC final or ODI World Cup final. The Indian team has no answer for him.
"Travis Head was phenomenal. A lot of credit should also go to Andrew McDonald and George Bailey, the selectors, to take a punt," he was all praise for the backroom staff, who had their own conviction in why they needed the southpaw in the mix.
In fact, there was a chance that the decision could have boomeranged.
"He had a broken finger, a broken hand for the half of the tournament, but to keep him in the squad was a huge risk.
"And the medical team were fantastic, obviously, to get him into a place where he could perform. So that was a big risk."
"I think we could have been made to look really silly if that didn't pay off, but you got to take those risks to win a tournament," he added.
The skipper couldn't be happier for a player who is ready to put everything on the line for the team.
"Trav, the player we've seen in Tests, epitomises everything I want in a cricket team. He takes the game on, plays with a smile, puts pressure back on the opposition, and is just great fun to be around. I couldn't be happier for Trav," the skipper wouldn't stop gushing in his mate's praise.
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Siddaramaiah defends kin picks for bypolls; says ‘high command will decide’ on power-sharing
Davanagere (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday defended the Congress party’s decision to field family members of two deceased MLAs in Assembly by-elections, asserting that the move follows established political practice.
Addressing criticism from the BJP over alleged dynastic politics, he said the party had followed a "common practice" in selecting candidates for the upcoming bypolls in the state.
The bypolls were necessitated by the demise of sitting Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, who represented the Davanagere South and Bagalkote constituencies, respectively.
The ruling Congress has fielded Shivashankarappa’s grandson, Samarth Shamanur, son of Karnataka Minister S S Mallikarjun, in Davanagere, and Umesh Meti in Bagalkote. They will face BJP’s T Dasakariyappa in Davanagere South and Veerabhadrayya Charantimath in Bagalkote.
"It is a common practice that when a leader passes away, a family member is allowed to represent that constituency. The Congress party has followed this practice here as well," Siddaramaiah told PTI Videos.
The CM expressed confidence in a clean sweep in the by-elections scheduled for April 9. "In both constituencies, we are confident of winning 100 per cent," he said.
On minority voters, amid reported displeasure over not fielding candidates from their community, Siddaramaiah asserted that the Congress continues to enjoy their support.
"Minorities have always supported the Congress party. They are unlikely to support independents or the BJP. Since independence, they have stood with Congress, and this election is no different," he said.
Commenting on elections in other states, he said opposition parties are likely to perform strongly in several regions.
"In Assam and other states, opposition parties are likely to perform well. The BJP will not win everywhere. In the South, the main contest is between Congress and the BJP," he said.
He added that in West Bengal, the ruling party will retain power; in Tamil Nadu, the DMK will win; and in Kerala, the UDF is likely to emerge victorious.
Defending the Congress government’s guarantee schemes (‘Shakti’, ‘Gruha Lakshmi’, ‘Gruha Jyoti’, ‘Yuva Nidhi’ and ‘Anna Bhagya’), Siddaramaiah described them as "social investments" rooted in an alternative economic philosophy.
"There are two economic approaches—the trickle-down theory and the universal basic income approach. The BJP follows the trickle-down theory, while Congress believes in strengthening the lower sections of society through direct support," he said.
Rejecting criticism over capital spending, he said allocations had increased steadily.
"Last year, it was around Rs 73,200 crore, and this year, it is about Rs 84,000 crore. Allegations that we are not spending on capital projects are false," he said.
On state finances, the CM said Karnataka is adhering to fiscal discipline norms despite revenue constraints.
"We are managing within the limits set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act—maintaining the deficit within 3 per cent of GDP and keeping total liabilities within prescribed limits. However, reduced tax shares from Finance Commissions and changes in GST have impacted revenues," he said.
Addressing concerns over a global oil crisis, Siddaramaiah placed responsibility on the union government.
"It is the duty of the Government of India to resolve the oil crisis," he said, adding that the Centre’s retention of cess and surcharge revenues constrains states.
Referring to fuel pricing, he drew a comparison with 2014, saying petrol and diesel were priced at around Rs 60-70 per litre when Narendra Modi became Prime Minister.
On the language policy row, he denied allegations that the government is anti-Hindi.
"We are not anti-Hindi. It should not be enforced on students. Whoever wants to learn Hindi can do so," he said, adding that the government had removed compulsory requirements in SSLC examinations without restricting learning.
Backing women’s reservation, Siddaramaiah credited the Congress with advancing the policy framework. "It was Rajiv Gandhi who brought an amendment to the Indian Constitution providing reservation for women," he said, adding that the party supports extending reservations to legislatures.
On concerns over delimitation and representation of southern states, he said fairness must be ensured. "There should be no injustice, whether in North India or South India," he added.
Dismissing speculation of a "leadership tussle" within the Congress, Siddaramaiah said the party’s position is clear. "Rahul Gandhi is the leader. Therefore, the question of a rift does not arise," he said.
On internal party meetings and leadership issues in Karnataka, he said there was "nothing unusual".
"There is nothing wrong if a dinner meeting takes place," he said.
Siddaramaiah added that disciplinary action would apply only if party directions were violated.
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister’s post after the declaration of the Assembly election results in May 2023, and the Congress managed to persuade the latter to accept the position of deputy CM.
On the issue of "power-sharing", he said, "The high command will take a decision."
There were also reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula", under which Shivakumar would become CM after two-and-a-half years. However, this has not been officially confirmed by the party.
