I have got lots to learn: Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins, fresh from a match-winning effort with the bat and boasting career-best form with the ball, says he has a lot to learn in white-ball cricket.

India Australia Cricket

Australia's Pat Cummins (C) hopes for more white-ball success against India in Bangalore. (AAP)

Pat Cummins is Australia's single most important cricketer, boasting the Midas touch with ball and bat plus a capacity to deliver his best in clutch moments, but the superstar feels he still has plenty to learn ahead of the World Cup.

Cummins' stocks continue to rise at a remarkable rate, with the latest match-winning performance coming when he hit the winning runs in Australia's tour-opening Twenty20 win over India that went down to the last ball.

The express paceman excelled in good times and bad for Australia during their home summer, with jokes that he should become Prime Minister already out of date.

Teammates have given Cummins new nicknames of 'No.1' and 'AB' after he recently claimed top spot in the International Cricket Council's Test bowling charts and pocketed the Allan Border Medal.

Cummins is expected to top Cricket Australia's contract list for this year, having played a key role in the side's bid for redemption after the Cape Town cheating scandal.

The 25-year-old admits he is full of confidence but, currently shouldering an even bigger burden than usual given both Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are injured, is quick to add he has "got lots to learn".

"I haven't played too much white-ball cricket this summer so I"m keen for that challenge. It's a totally different challenge to the red ball, which might swing around a bit more," Cummins said in Bangalore.

"Trying to take white-ball wickets and death bowling is something I haven't done too much of lately.

"But I couldn't be happier with how I'm placed ... really happy with how my game is going at the moment. So many different things have fallen into place, including a bit of luck."

Cummins and Jhye Richardson needed to score 14 runs off the final over in Vizag, a huge ask given they both hadn't faced a delivery at that stage and India had all the momentum, but got the job done.

"You want to be in the moments where you can win a game," Cummins said.

"You hear a lot of players say it and I'm no different - terribly nervous watching them go about their business but when you're out in the field you know you're in control.

"Sometimes when the game feels like it's almost lost, that's when you feel like you can relax and you've got nothing to lose.

"Just ran hard and it worked out in the end."


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Source: AAP



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