Ashes 2023: Is Australia's Pat Cummins the rightful heir of MS Dhoni's 'Captain Cool' crown?

Cricket fans witnessed an absorbing game of Test cricket on Tuesday in the first Test of the Ashes 2023 series in Edgbaston, which resulted in Australia sealing a thrilling 2-wicket win over England. And it was Australian skipper Pat Cummins (44*), who played a captain's knock in the 281-run chase after the visitors encountered some difficulties on the final day of the match.

When Cummins joined Alex Carey at the crease, Australia were left reeling at 209-7. The Aussies had just lost the vital wicket of in-form batsman Usman Khawaja (65), but Cummins kept his cool under pressure, forming partnerships with Carey (20) and Lyon (16*) to lead the Aussies to a storied victory.

Social media exploded after Pat Cummins took Australia home with his ice cool temperament, which reminded a few of 'Captain Cool and 'Mr Cool' MS Dhoni. During his captaincy days for Team India, Dhoni won widescale appreciation for holding his nerves in crunch situation - both as a captain and finisher. On numerous occasions, the former Indian skipper proved that he was one of the best finishers of the game and was lauded for taking the Men in Blue to the finish line in style.

Also read: Ashes 2023: 'Test cricket at its best' - Fans savour Edgbaston thriller as Australia beat England by 2 wickets

From the iconic 183 against Sri Lanka in 2005 and the 113* against Pakistan in 2012 to his World Cup-winning 91* against Sri Lanka in 2011, Dhoni mastered the art of leading his team to a victory and was bestowed the title of 'Captain Cool' by fans and legends of the sport. Cut to 2023, Australia's Pat Cummins is garnering praises for leading his side to a historic win against England at Edgbaston as the sensational cricketer displayed grit, determiniation and above all - ice cool temperament.

The quality of the cricket on display by Cummins and the Australian unit also delighted the ex-cricketers on Twitter. Former India opener Virender Sehwag praised both teams and said it was "one of the best" Tests he has seen in recent memory almost immediately after Cummins scored the winning runs.

“What a Test Match. One of the best I have seen in recent times. Test cricket is Best Cricket. Was a gutsy decision by England to declare just before close on Day 1, especially considering the weather. But Khawaja was outstanding in both innings and @patcummins30 is the new Mr. Cool in Test cricket. What an innings under pressure and that partnership with Lyon was one to remember for a long time,” Sehwag wrote.

India's leading spinner Ravichandra Ashwin compared the current series to the 2005 Ashes, regarded as one of the greatest Test series in cricket history. At that time, England had won the series against a star-studded Australian squad, 2-1. 2005 Ashes feel to this test series so far. #Ashes2023,” wrote Ashwin.

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers, who has remained fairly active on his Twitter profile throughout the first Ashes Test, congratulated both sides on the “fantastic” game of cricket. “Wow! What a fantastic game of Cricket. Run rate still good! Well played both team! Test Cricket at its best,” wrote the South African batting great.

In another tweet, de Villiers also tried to make sense of England's declaration decision, while also drawing a comparison with MS Dhoni's captaincy in the Indian Premier League.

Also read: The Ashes 2023, ENG vs AUS: Umpire Nitin Menon reveals how handling Indian stars has made him 'match ready'

"I never looked at the Birmingham weather leading up to this Test match. The way England played now makes sense. Call it what you want, some say Bazz Ball, I just think it’s smart Cricket. The best teams are prepared to adapt and play situations in a way that’ll ultimately put them in a winning position more often than the rest, whether that’s by making bold declarations or playing reverse sweeps a lot, whatever it takes," De Villiers wrote.

“The only way to make it impactful is to have a complete buy in from every individual, no ego’s, no stats driven players, just a full on buy in to be the best team in the world. That’s how I see the Eng team play atm. Also saw that with MSD and co. in the IPL,” de Villiers added.

With series now at 1-0, Australia will look to carry on the momentum from Edgbaston to the historic Lord's when they face England in the second Test, starting from June 28.

Also read: The Ashes 2023: 10 players to watch out for in epic England vs Australia clash

Meanwhile, fans took to Twitter to applaud Pat Cummins' brilliant show as they applauded possibly cricket's new 'Captain Cool':