Finding Roots of Enigmatic Cummins

The Australian captain's on-field success and personality off it are intertwined and it goes back to his upbringing

"ADA" called Albie Pat Cummins' three-year-old son - standing with his mother Becky Boston at the corner of the press conference room of the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday afternoon. "I'm here," the Australian captain laughed, responding to his son before getting back to the media interaction.

Cummins was sitting there after becoming the first Australian captain to beat India in a Test series since 2014. He was also now the captain who holds all the bilateral Test trophies - Ashes included - the World Test Championship mace, and the ODI World Cup. He has won the T20 World Cup and the ODI WC as a player as well. There isn't a thing that Cummins hasn't achieved as a cricketer.

When asked about how what keeps him going, his answer was simple: "First of all I just absolutely love what I do. I mean that's probably the biggest driver in wanting to play Test Cricket and work with this team and support staff. I absolutely love everything about it. It's so much fun. If I could keep doing it for a little while, even better."

That's Pat Cummins for you. Eight years ago, Cummins had played just one Test match. The teen prodigy who had become the second youngest ever to make a Test debut for Australia in 2011 had been through a rollercoaster since. From being the Player of the match on Test debut against South Africa, Cummins had seen multiple back issues and stress fractures. He redefined his bowling action with Dennis Lille, shifted focus to white ball cricket, won an ODI World Cup, even enrolled himself into the University of Technology, Sydney for a Bachelor's degree in Business. It had been a life in itself. He was not the prodigal son from Westmead who moved further from the city to Penrith before being fast-tracked to play Test cricket for Australia after playing three first-class matches.