Can't wait to see David in action: Cummins

MOHALI: All set for his much-anticipated international debut against India, Singapore-born Australian hard-hitting batter Tim David has made everyone excited, including their pace spearhead Pat Cummins.

A sought-after power-hitter in franchise cricket, the 6-feet 5-inches batter caught the headlines when five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians snapped him for Rs 8.25 crore at the IPL 2022 auction.

''We are here in Mohali, we just had our first training session as a team out there on the oval. Really good session, Great to see the new face, on his first ever Aussie tour -- Tim David around. He hit a lot of long balls. I can't wait to see him in action,'' Cummins told cricket.com.au after Saturday's practice session.

The reigning T20I champions will take on India in a three-match series beginning here on Tuesday.

''Great to be back in India for the first time since Covid. Can't wait to see all the fans. They are always crazy over here. Hopefully some packed stadiums here, It's always a lot of fun. You feel like a billion people are watching, so I can't wait for it.'' With Marcus Stoinis ruled out because of a side strain, the 26-year-old David looks set for his Australian debut. At the nets, he was seen whacking the balls all around the park.

In a forgettable season where MI finished at the bottom of the table, David showed glimpses of his power-hitting, scoring 186 runs at a strike rate of 216.28.

Terming him the ''X factor'', the Australian Test skipper further said: ''(He) goes about it slightly differently, so look forward to it.'' ''Great to see David get his chance. He has been right up there with the best in the world, batting in the middle-order of T20 cricket is a really tough spot to bat,'' Cummins later said in a virtual media interaction.

''You see most run-scorers are opening the batting or batting in the top-order. It is hard to be consistent when there are spin bowlers bowling and he has been fantastic. If he gets his chance, hopefully he can continue doing what he has been doing in the domestic T20 league,'' he added.

He also spoke about Virat Kohli's return to form and said the star Indian batter would pose a challenge in the series.

''I saw Virat Kohli, he scored a hundred, yeah he's a class player, he was always going to return to form at some point in time. He's going to be a challenge this next week,'' Cummins added.