Melbourne: Australia captain Pat Cummins is yet to come to terms with the death of his mother and described flying to India for a Test series as she received treatment at home as the "hardest time of my life".

Cummins' mother, Maria, died of cancer last year.

"I knew when I was getting on that plane that I was going to have to come back in a couple of weeks pretty much," Cummins said in an interview for the Imperfects podcast.

Cummins was in India for a Test series but he returned home to be by his ailing mother's side as she received palliative care.

"Flying away... That's the hardest time of my life, easily. I probably felt it in the 12 months leading in. Any time I flew away I was like, 'Time's finite here, I'm making a deliberate choice to go and play somewhere rather than spend it at home'."

Cummins said he tried to keep Maria's final days as private as possible and didn't explain to her why he flew home after playing in two Tests in India last year.

"But that time in particular - because we knew roughly the timeline, and knowing Mum and Dad as well; how much joy they get, sitting together, watching me play - that gave me enough