Why Australia made the call to bring Hazlewood back and how Cummins told Boland he was out

Australian captain Pat Cummins is excited to welcome back Josh Hazlewood for the third Test against Brisbane at the Gabba.

Hazlewood missed the second Test in Adelaide with a low-grade side strain, but he’s been recalled into the side after proving his fitness during the week in Brisbane.

While Hazlewood averages 13.35 in 2024 and was Australia’s best bowler in the first Test loss in Perth, Cummins admitted it was hard to leave out Scott Boland who filled in admirably in Adelaide with

“Yeah (we made the call) this morning,” Cummins told SEN Cricket.

“He had a final bowl yesterday which we all do two days out from a game.

“Then we just watch how he pulled up and he pulled up great. There are no qualms from the physio or Josh, they feel really confident.

“It's always tough leaving out someone like Scotty who's performed fantastically whenever he gets a chance, he was key to the win last week.

“But Josh's form and record is pretty hard to say no to.”

While it’s never a pleasant conversation for a captain when it comes to leaving a fellow teammate out of the side, Cummins says his message to Boland was one of positivity as the Victorian has a huge chance of making an impact again as the series rolls on.

“I think it's easier in some ways than someone who's been dropped because they've been playing poorly,” Cummins said.

“There's no real easy way to say it other than, ‘You’re unfortunately missing on this one, but we love what you bring. Don't change a thing. There are still two test matches after this one. Now it's all about prep for the MCG’.

“Hopefully we keep making them feel valued because they are.”

The third Test between Australia and India begins at 11:20am (AEDT) on Saturday. Listen to every ball LIVE on SEN and the SEN app.

Check out Sundaresan’s full chat with Cummins below for SEN Cricket.