'We know that we weren't at our best and have a few things to work on'
Scott Boland will replace injured paceman Josh Hazlewood in Australia's sole change for the second Test against India, while all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been passed fit to bowl, captain Pat Cummins confirmed on Thursday.
Cummins said Adelaide conditions suited the big Victorian quick.
"Traditionally here, there is normally a little bit of nip, which obviously suits Scotty quite well," Cummins told media at the Adelaide Oval.
"All of last summer he was geared up to go, but no one fell over.
"It feels like it's been quite a while (since Boland has played). As a captain, it's pretty awesome to have someone like Scotty come straight in.
"You know he can bowl a huge amount of overs if needed, he is super consistent and has performed at this level."
Australia trail 1-0 in the five-Test series against India after being thrashed in the Perth opener by 295 runs.
Marsh pulled up sore after bowling 17 overs at Perth Stadium, prompting selectors to add uncapped all-rounder Beau Webster to the squad as injury cover.
Cummins said he expected Marsh to bowl at some stage in the day-night Test despite carrying a reported back injury and not bowling at training.
"I'm guessing at some point, he will be required. It's not a huge concern, you would probably need to speak to the physio," said Cummins.
"He will ... prioritise his overs for the game instead of in the nets."
Australia's capitulation in Perth triggered damning assessments of the team's performance in home media.
Another loss in Adelaide would mean three home Test defeats in succession for the hosts for the first time since 1988.
Cummins said his team tried not to pay much attention to the criticism and had shown they could bounce back when under pressure in the past.
"We've been in similar situations, whether it's World Cups or other series, in must-win situations," said Cummins.
"We know that we weren't at our best and have a few things to work on."
Cummins, who made his Test debut in 2011, played his first Test against India in 2017. Since 2014-15, Australia have not won an India series either home or away. The pacer is determined to change this stat.
"For half of the (Australian) change room, we haven't won the Border Gavaskar Trophy. It is one last thing to tick off for a lot of us. Almost every challenge that we faced in last few years, we have stepped up and done well," Cummins spoke with a lot of determination ahead of second Test against India in Adelaide.
"I think we need to do that for another home summer and series. From two-three season thing, it has suddenly been a half a generation thing," he added.
Mitchell Starc, Hazlewood (not playing this Test), Mitchell Marsh, and Nathan Lyon are some of the players, who were part of the 2-0 win back in 2014-15.
From then onwards, India have won all four series -- two at home (2017 and 2023) and two overseas (2018-19, 2020-21).
So, is there pressure on him to win it back this time?
"I don't think it's pressure. You are playing at home and you want to do well. We know they (India) are a really strong side and lot of us were part of those recent three series (defeats).
"Yeah, it's a big series and kind of not looking too far in the past. And every summer, when we play against them we want to do well," Cummins said.
The 31-year-old, who has 272 wickets from 63 Tests, didn't want to compare the Ashes with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) but termed the battle with Indian teams as the most closely contested over the years.
"I think it has been the most closely fought. I think the Ashes has got a rich history and (it is) watched as well but I think Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been a very tight series that I have kind of seen in recent times.
"Both teams play quite similar at times. For the first time (since 1991-92), it is a five-Test series and that adds a bit extra. It really gets attritronal with its history as well so it is a big one," the skipper said.
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