Skipper Pat Cummins said he is confident Ashton Agar will tour India next month despite the left-arm spinner’s wicketless performance in Sunday’s drawn third Sydney Test against South Africa.
Agar was chosen as the second spinner to premier tweaker Nathan Lyon for the Sydney Test with a view to the four-Test match series against India.
Agar, playing in his first Test in six years, bowled a total of 22 overs on the wearing Sydney Cricket Ground pitch for 0-58, raising doubts about his effectiveness on Indian pitches.
But Cummins was supportive of Agar’s bowling and said it was in no way an audition for India and its pitches.
“I’m sure Ash will be there. Left-arm orthodox, he’ll absolutely be there,” Cummins said after the Sydney Test.
“It wasn’t an audition at all. This wicket was a lot different to India. It wasn’t really spinning out of the middle of the wicket (like it might in India).
“We thought the wicket was going to spin more than it did. I thought he did really well.”
But there is concern that Agar will not measure up should Australia, as expected, go into the India Tests with two specialist spinners.
